Evening star., 1960-08-10
Cuban Assurances Answer
Church's Threot,to Close =

SIEUINEIS ,
HAVANA, Aug. 10 (AP)-
Cuba's highest active Roman
lCatholic Church official threat
ened yesterday to silence all
Catholic churches on the island
iunless the Castro regime pre-
vents further anti-church dem
onstrations and guarantees
freedom of worship.
The Right Rev. Msgr. Evelio
Diaz, archbishop coadjutor of
Havana, angrily issued the
warning after the top-ranking
priest in Fidel Castro's army
had intervened to stop a clash
between churchgoers and a
gang Of jeering youths outside
Havana CATHEDRAL. ~,
Early today President Os-
Waldo Dorticos assured the
Cuban people the Castro regime
will continue respecting all re-
hgious cults" despite provoca-
tions." y
Addresses Labor Rally.
Speaking at a post midnight
labor rally. the President made
no specific mention of the
Roman Catholic hierarchy's
pastoral letter last Sunday
warning of the advance of COM
munism in Cuba, nor did he
refer to the threat to close the
churches.
But in an apparent reference
to the pastoral letter, Mr.. Dor
ticos said: Those imputations
will fall into a void and they
will be applauded only by those
who have interests that de-
mand that applause"
The President accused "coun-
-revolutionaries and pro-lm-
perialistS" of welding religious
sentiments against the Cuban
revolution
They are useless maneuvers
and will destroy themselves"
Mr. Dorticos declared. "All this
will have to be defeated /. Our
energies must be reserved for
greater battles"
Takes Warning to Police
Mr.. Dorticos spoke a few
hours after a demonstration
outside Havana Cathedral sent
Msgr. Diaz hurrying to the
presidential palace with the
warning. Declaring the church
"in silence" is the Vatican'S
term for the church's restricted
Operations in Communist coun-
tries.
Msgr. DiaZ has taken over
administration Of the church
lin Cuba as a result of the poor
health of 80-year-old Manuel
Cardinal Arteaga.
There was no immediate
official response to the arch
bishops threat. And a we'll
informed church source said
the churches actually would
not be closed today.
Chant Against Pope
The demonstration outside
the cathedral yesterday was
the third since July II. when
anticommunism was mani
tested publicly at a church
service in the cathedral.
Yesterday a gang Of youths
assembled outside the building
during a high mass in honor of
Cuban priests. Eyewitnesses
said the youths-some of them
armed with steel bars and
wooden clubs-shouted down
with the Pope" and down with
priests" and struck several Of
the worshipers as they were
leaving the cathedral.
The Rev. Eligio Sardinas,
chaplain Of Castro's revolu-
tionary army, intervened and
managed to break up the jeer-
ing crowd before anyone was
seriously injured. But the
youths returned to the cathe-
dral square two hours later,
shouting antichurch and anti
American slogans. Police fired
rifle shots into the air to break
up the demonstration.
Rebuff to Church
A church source said Msgr.
Diaz telephone the presiden-
tial palace during the peak Of
the demonstration. He later
drove to the palace and talked
Tor Is minutes with Luis Buch,
the minister of the presidency.
Apparently Mr.. Dorticos would
not receive him. and this was
considered a rebuff to the
church.
If there are no guarantees