Protestantism in Cuba

While Protestants arrived in the island of Cuba early in its colonial days, most of their churches did not flourish until the 20th century with the assistance of American missionaries. In the early 20th century, Cuban Protestant churches were greatly aided by various American missionaries who assisted in the work in the churches and also provided support from their home churches. When Fidel Castro’s regime overtook the country in 1959, Protestant churches were legally allowed to continue. Nevertheless, certain incidents as detailed below, and religious persecution kept them from prospering. During the Special Period that began in 1991, Protestant churches began to flourish once again and today have become a primary religious group of Cuba. The Protestant population of Cuba is estimated at 11%.

Cuba was one of Spain’s last colonies to be established in the New World. In the beginning, Catholic Spain zealously tried to keep the Protestants out of their colony as they promoted “monarchical absolutism” and “Catholic unity.” The earliest Protestant activity in Cuba dates back to 1741 when Cuba was under British occupation. Moreover, as trade opened up between Cuba and the United States as well as other Protestant nations in Europe, the walls keeping Protestants out of Cuba were broken down. Many Protestants began to make their home in Cuba. Several more Protestants influenced the culture and society by coming to trade or vacation on the island. Even with the opening of trade, tensions remained strong between Catholics and Protestants in Cuba throughout the early days of the colony.

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