Top Catholic leaders meet in Cuba

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Roman Catholic bishops from across Latin America have begun their first meeting in the Cuban capital, Havana.

The conference is being taken as evidence of warmer ties between the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and the Cuban government.

For years, Cuba was officially atheist, but ties have been improving with the Vatican since Pope John Paul II's visit to the island in 1998.

This latest summit follows a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Brazil.

Show of support

The Latin American Bishops Conference meets every two years to co-ordinate policy across the region.

Benedict XVI's visit to Brazil in May was his first as Pope The meeting is seen as show of support by other Latin American clergy for the local Catholic Church, the only major institution in Cuba that is not controlled by the state.

In the early days of Fidel Castro's revolution, priests were expelled and practicing Catholics were excluded from key jobs.

Relations improved during the 1990s culminating in the landmark visit by Pope John Paul II.

Since then, congregations have grown, but Catholics and other religions are still not being allowed to build new churches or become involved in education.

Avoiding criticism

Church leaders in Cuba have sought better ties with the authorities here by putting the years of tensions behind them and avoiding criticism of issues such as human rights.

The general secretary of the Latin American conference, Argentine bishop Andres Stanovnik, told a news conference in Havana that the Catholic church did not have a separate strategy for Cuba.

"It is the same for all countries," he said. "Defending human rights, the right to life, liberty and truth."

The four-day meeting will elect new regional church leaders and its discussions will concentrate on internal church matters rather than relations with the Cuban authorities.