Statement by Juan Antonio Quintanilla, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Cuba, at the 8th Meeting of the "Istanbul Process" on combating religious intolerance. Geneva, Switzerland, 16 February 2022.
Thank you, Excellency, for convening this important meeting.
A few days ago marked the 6th anniversary of the historic meeting in Havana of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. From our Homeland, Francis and Kirill sent a message of fraternity to Latin America and the World, in which they stressed that they were, and I quote, "in Cuba, at the crossroads between North and South, East and West, from an island, the symbol of the hopes of the New World...” End of quote.
This meeting, along with the pastoral visits of the last three Popes of the Catholic Church to our country, reflect and are linked to the full commitment of the Cuban Revolution, not only with freedom of religion, but also with the promotion of fraternity, cooperation, solidarity and friendship among individuals and peoples, traits of our nation that treats believers and non-believers alike, and that our State promotes and defends.
It could not be otherwise. There are around 600 religious institutions and organizations of diverse denominations in our country: Christian, including Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant and Orthodox churches, as well as Jewish, Islamic, Spiritualist, Buddhist churches, and religions of African origin that are an inseparable part of the formation of our nationality, among others.
By virtue of the Constitution of the Republic, the different beliefs and religions enjoy equal consideration. Every person has the right to profess or not religious beliefs, and change or practice the religion of his/her preference, with due respect for others and in accordance with the law.
Excellencies,
Greater efforts are required at national, regional and global levels for progress in combatting religious intolerance. Hate speeches, the dissemination with impunity of discriminatory news and opinion matrixes for geopolitical purposes must end.
The use of the alleged promotion of religious freedoms for campaigns of political destabilization and regime change, totally unrelated to religious motivations and the promotion and defense of human rights, must also end. No country has the right to claim to be the protector and guarantor of religious freedom in the world, nor to draw up unilateral documents and lists, which undermine the genuine international efforts and cooperation in this area.
Excellencies,
My country has maintained a consistent position in multilateral forums, in favor of respect for diversity and the promotion of dialogue and interreligious fraternity. At the present juncture that humanity is going through, these principles are more necessary than ever. You can always count on Cuba to continue defending these principles.
Thank you very much.