Never a Church of Silence: the Catholic Church in Revolutionary Cuba, 1959–1986

Faculty of Theology University of Helsinki NEVER A CHURCH OF SILENCE: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN REVOLUTIONARY CUBA, 1959–1986 Petra Kuivala ACADEMIC DISSERTATION to be presented for public discussion with the permission of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki, in Auditorium PII, Porthania, on the 9th of November, 2019 at 10 o’clock. SUPERVISORS OF THE DISSERTATION Dr. Mikko Ketola Senior Lecturer in Church History Faculty of Theology University of Helsinki Dr. Aila Lauha Professor of Church History Faculty of Theology University of Helsinki Dr. Elina Vuola Professor of Global Christianity and Dialogue of Religions Faculty of Theology University of Helsinki PRELIMINARY EXAMINERS Dr. Jorge Duany Professor of Anthropology, Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies Director of the Cuban Research Institute, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs Florida International University Dr. Massimo Faggioli Professor of Theology and Religious Studies Villanova University OPPONENT IN THE PUBLIC EXAMINATION Dr. Jorge Duany Professor of Anthropology, Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies Director of the Cuban Research Institute, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs Florida International University The Faculty of Theology uses the Urkund system (plagiarism recognition) to examine all doctoral dissertations. Cover image editing: Ville Koivuranta ISBN 978-951-51-5558-0 (paperback) ISBN 978-951-51-5559-7 (PDF) Unigrafia Oy Helsinki 2019 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is the result of five years of research in three countries. Finland, Cuba, and the United States have each come to mark distinct chapters in the development of this dissertation and for my growth as a scholar. In each country, I am indebted to a great number of individuals and institutions that have contributed to my work in a multitude of ways. I am grateful for having been able to work full-time on my dissertation in the Doctoral Program in Theology and Religious Studies within the Doctoral School of Humanities and So- cial Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Additionally, the Doctoral School and the Chancel- lor’s Fund of the University of Helsinki have supported my work with several travel grants and a grant for completing the doctoral studies. I would like to express my thanks to the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Fund, whose grants enabled the final stages of finishing the dissertation manu- script. At the heart of the successful completion of this research project has been the ability to spend long periods of time in Cuba. I thank the Lutheran World Federation, the Aune Vappula Fund, the Church Research Center of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and the Depart- ment of International Affairs at the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for scholarships to conduct fieldwork in Cuba. When I spent the academic year 2016–2017 as a Visiting Scholar at the Cuban Research Institute of Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at Florida International University in Miami, United States, I was supported by the Fulbright Finland Foundation with an ASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant and the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Ambassadorial Award. I cordially thank the Fulbright Finland Foundation for the opportunity that, as it turns out, con- tinues to shape my path in academia. Finland In Finland, the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki has provided my work with an inspiring research environment characterized by the brightest of minds and scholarly com- panionship. I would like to thank my three supervisors for their commitment and dedication; through- out the research process, I have enjoyed their encouragement. I thank Dr. Mikko Ketola for his empowering guidance and solidarity. The studies in which I have had the privilege to enjoy his expertise since my undergraduate years have been foundational for my growth as a scholar. As I cordially thank Professor Aila Lauha, I wish to acknowledge the inspirational, passionate ap- proach to research through which she has provided a young scholar with an example of contin- uous scholarly commitment. To Professor Elina Vuola, I am grateful for her insightful guidance, thought-provoking discussions, and the drive with which she has helped me map new fields for both this research and my future work as a scholar. I wish to acknowledge the entire staff of the Department of Church History in the Faculty of Theology, many of whom I have been able to collaborate with over the years. I thank Pro- fessor Tuomas Heikkilä for acting as the custos appointed by the Faculty of Theology in the public examination of this dissertation. In the field of church history, I have enjoyed participat- ing in the monthly research seminar on contemporary church history. I thank Professor Jouko Talonen for providing me with feedback in the seminar and all the scholars in the research seminar group. I also wish to express my delight in receiving feedback from Dr. Kyllikki Tiensuu, my first teacher of church history at the university. To another inspiring figure in the field, Dr. Marjo-Riitta Antikainen, I am grateful for her empowering and generous encouragement. I thank the entire community of doctoral and postdoctoral scholars in the Faculty of The- ology. I appreciate the spirit cultivated on the 4th floor of the faculty building and cherish all the moments of comradery we have shared. I would like especially to acknowledge Antti Luoma, Sanna Saari, Anna S. Salonen, Olli Saukko, Annaleena Sevillano, Johanna Tyynelä- Haapamäki, Anna-Maija Viljanen-Pihkala, and Heidi Zitting, who have provided me with their insightful feedback, high spirits, and invaluable peer support in the day-to-day course of research at all stages of this project. Cuba Cuba is the place where the soul of this research is rooted. On the island, numerous institutions and a great number of individuals—a network more voluminous than I ever could have imag- ined—have contributed to the course of this research and its outcomes. It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I thank the Catholic Church in Cuba. I wish to acknowledge the profound significance of both the numerous offices of the Church and the individual Cuban Catholics that have shaped this research, my thinking, and my time on the island. I thank the national offices and dioceses in which I conducted work and the individuals at each site who aided me in my research. I wish to cordially thank the Catholic communities that welcomed me with abrazos y besos. I thank the offices of the Cuban State and the José Martí National Library for providing my work with archives, expertise, and advice. During my fieldwork in Cuba, I had the opportunity to spend time at several locations around the island and learn from many sources. I was and continue to be deeply moved by the extraordinary generosity and hospitality of so many; I wish to express my sincere thanks to all those who have shared their homes, a cup of coffee, their thoughts, memories and experiences, and the course of everyday life with me. The most important lessons that I learned, I learned through human encounters, dialogue, and compan- ionship. I thank each person who has contributed to my work on the island by acknowledging that I am forever indebted to them for making this research possible. From the long periods of work on the island, long-lasting friendships have also emerged. I have been extremely fortunate to grow close with so many and remain grateful for the joyous presence, warm encouragement, and eternal optimism of my friends in Cuba. My time on the island has always been characterized by a transformational kind of warmth, kindness, and sense of closeness: one that transcends time and space, as I have come to learn. Hasta la próxima, I have begun to say. The United States of America During this project, I was also able to conduct research in the United States. I thank the Cuban Research Institute of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at Florida International University for hosting me as a Visiting Scholar. The time I spent at the institute was instrumental for my growth as a scholar. I am grateful to the entire staff of the institute for welcoming and hosting me in a way that allowed me to grow within a community of global networks, scholarly encounters, and multidisciplinary exchange. In the field of Cuban studies, I thank Professor Jorge Duany for his insightful comments as the preliminary examiner of the dissertation. I also thank him for agreeing to act as my opponent in the public examination of the dissertation. I am grateful for his encouragement and gracious support of my work, characterized by both academic rigor and remarkable generosity. In the field of theology, I wish to express my gratitude to Professor Massimo Faggioli for acting as the preliminary examiner of the dissertation and inspiring my research with his insights and scholarly dedication. In the course of work in the United States and in several academic conferences, I was privileged to have the opportunity to meet numerous distinguished specialists, passionate scholars, and dedicated teachers in the fields of Cuban studies, history, and the study of theology and religion. I thank each and every one of them for inspiring me through their example and for providing me with valuable insights and feedback for developing both the dissertation and my own scholarly identity. I would like to particularly thank Melyssa Alvarez, my trusted friend in Miami. As the acknowledgments made here testify, people are at the heart of this research project. I thank my family and friends in Finland, Cuba, and the United States for their support and encouragement. I would like to conclude by acknowledging my two confidants who have followed me to each site of research in this project in the past five years: Tapio Leinonen and Irja Kuivala.

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