A Special Christmas for Cuba

Early last week, Cubans woke to the news that Christmas has been reinstated as a holiday on the Caribbean island. Christmas carols, decorations, trees, the whole panoply of religion and celebration will be allowed, though the poor economy of the nation will surely crimp shopping.

The lifting of the ban imposed in 1969, it should be noted, happened after Pope John Paul, during his visit in January, asked Fidel Castro to restore Christmas to the Cuban calendar. This latest victory is testimony to the resilience of religion and belief; more than 30 years of deliberate quashing didn’t erase the Cubans’ desire to worship.

In this case, the Roman Catholic Church’s long, often bleak dealings with the Communist hierarchy in Cuba might teach U.S. policymakers some simple lessons: Before accomplishment there must be engagement, and nothing happens in isolation. The Clinton administration should move ahead with the suggestion from a number of former secretaries of state that a bipartisan commission be established to assess the deplorable state of U.S. policy toward Cuba.

Who knows, if Washington makes the right moves, the small window of religious freedom that has just been opened could widen to include greater political and economic freedoms for all Cubans on the island. Perhaps Cubans would even be able to afford their traditional suckling pig, or lechoncito, for next year’s holidays. Now that would be a fine present for the pre-millennial Christmas.