Twenty years after the first national meeting of Catholics following the Cuban revolution, the Catholic Church on the Caribbean island reflected on its internal life and main pastoral goals, with support from the Vatican.

During the celebrations marking the February 1986 meeting, a milestone for Cuba 's Catholic Church, the country's bishops unveiled their pastoral plan for 2006-2010.

For Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cuba was the first stop on a trip that included the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico , where he was presenting the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. The Vatican official even gave a copy to Cuban President Fidel Castro.

In presenting the compendium to the Cuban bishops, the cardinal noted that the Church's social doctrine takes into consideration people's material and spiritual needs and underscores “the deep sense of our common life, of our struggle for justice.”

He called the compendium an important tool for “openness and dialogue” with believers of other religions and with all people who strive for the common good, based on the fundamental values of “humanity, respect for the dignity of every person and the desire for development, reconciliation and peace.”

The cardinal said too many countries still do not meet the need for the most basic human rights, such as access to safe drinking water, decent housing and health care, while in other countries people are demanding more sophisticated, “new-generation” rights.

Cardinal Martino mentioned several challenges facing the Church, including defense of the family as key to the future of humanity and the fight against hunger and poverty, which he said requires solidarity from wealthy countries as well as intelligent, honest efforts by developing ones to eliminate corruption and poor governance.

Another major goal is peace, which he said can be won with justice, reconciliation, dialogue, an end to the arms race and increased cooperation in assistance.

Just before the end of his stay in Havana , Cardinal Martino presented a copy of the compendium to Castro.

"It was a very interesting visit," Cardinal Martino told Cuba 's state-run television station. He said he thanked the Cuban leader for "finding the time to receive me even though he was very busy."

The cardinal said Castro spoke about " Cuba 's health efforts, the training of doctors and the opportunities that are provided to students from other countries to study medicine” on the island.

In the planning document, the bishops said the Church's pastoral work in Cuba "has expanded notably" and that "religious and sociopolitical factors explain this ecclesial transformation, which is rooted in the spiritual thirst of many Cubans."

The document said the Church's three main pastoral goals concern developing Christian spirituality, lay identity and the Church's evangelising mission.

It specified three priority action areas: integral formation, human promotion and dynamic, living communities. It also mentioned more than a dozen areas that need work, including community life, morality, liturgy and sacramental life, missionary life, social ministry and other areas related to the family, youth participation, laypeople and catechesis.

It said the Church "is essentially missionary," and evangelization remains its "primary activity."

"Missionary activity in all its forms has been the greatest factor in the change in the life of the Cuban Church " since the 1986 bishops' meeting, said the document.

In their plan, the bishops said the Church's missionary work has "made ecclesial activity present in places where it never existed before, especially in rural areas and neighbourhoods far from churches." The church also has established "mission houses" -- private homes where the faithful meet -- in all dioceses, drawing about 20,000 Catholics.

The bishops called for greater opportunities to carry out their mission in Cuba , saying their goal was not to “gain a certain amount of power” or become “a type of alternative power”, but to make a contribution to Cuban society.

The plan said that to carry out its mission, the Church “cannot remain closed within itself,” but must "creatively seek new spaces in society.”

With regard to social ministry, it cited a survey of Catholics in which respondents said migration has “divided families” and “deprived the country and the Church of many members.” The survey showed that Catholics' view of the future “is more pessimistic than optimistic. The most negative view is held by people who are retired or unemployed.”

The poll mentioned three main concerns: “the breakup of the family, the future of children and the fear that the Church will come under pressure again” as it did after the victory of the revolution Jan 1, 1959 .

The bishops said religious freedom is more than the freedom to worship and also must include “recognition of the Church's action in society” and the presence of Christians in public life.

The planning document referred to the Church's social ministry in Cuba and addressed some of the country's major problems. It acknowledged that there is little youth participation in Cuba 's Catholic Church and warned that the Cuban family “is experiencing very difficult situations.”

The document noted that wages "are insufficient, housing is scarce and precarious” and there are difficulties in communication within families.

The survey analysis indicated that the sacrament of baptism is held in high regard, with slightly more than 60,000 people being baptised each year. Celebration of the sacrament of marriage, however, “is scarce”, it said, noting that few young Cuban couples get married in the Church. Most of the couples who marry in the Church, it said, have been living together for many years.

The bishops explained that the pastoral plan is an effort “to encourage us, as Church, to follow new paths of evangelisation amid our people at this time in its history."

In the plan, the bishops cited "the need to encourage a renewed evangelisation characterised by greater scope, intensity and missionary impetus."

The call for greater freedom for the Church to work is one that the bishops have long made to Castro's communist government, which improved relations with the Church after Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba in January 1998.

Just before the trip, the public celebration of Christmas was restored, and since the visit, outdoor religious processions and some other religious events have been authorised, and the Church has had occasional access to state-run media.

Cuba is currently reported to have 330 priests, 155 of whom are Cuban, as well as 646 religious, 130 of whom were born on the island.

(CNS)