Fidel & Religion

Fidel Castro in Conversation with Frei Betto on Marxism & Liberation Theology

In Castro and Betto's conversation, the communion between these two forces is such that in 1992 it was used as the basis for the Cuban Communist Party's decree that members who practised religious faiths could be accepted - and, in 1999, it paved the way for Pope John Paul II's historic visit to the country.

In an intimate 23-hour dialogue with Brazilian liberation theologist Frei Betto, Fidel Castro revealed much about his personal background and candidly discussed his views on religion.

The result was an extraordinary reconciliation of revolution with religion. Fidel remarks, "There are 10,000 times more coincedences between Christianity and communism than between Christianity and capitalism," and Frei Betto agrees, "Socialist societies that create better living conditions for the people are unconsciously carrying out what we men of faith consider God's projects in history."