The Cuban Catholic Church has criticized "the unique ideology" that drives the draft new constitution

The Catholic bishops of Cuba have criticized the fact that the new draft constitution guarantees that "only socialism and communism allow man to reach his full dignity"leaving aside other forms of personal fulfillment.

"The absolute character of this statement … excludes the effective exercise of the right to plurality of thought about man and the order of society," they said in a statement. communiqué published by the Episcopal Conference.

In front of "a unique ideology for personal fulfillment", they appealed to a phrase of the national hero José Martí: "A Constitution can not be built with ideological elements".

According to the church, the text excludes "other visions of man, society and the universe that do not badume the Marxist-Leninist ideology that historically, including in our country, have inspired and supported the communist ideology "

The draft new constitution, approved by Parliament in late 2018 after a popular debate, will be submitted to a national referendum on 24 February. The Castro regime is waging an intense campaign for citizens to vote in favor, while the opposition calls NO on social networks.

In its preamble, the bill ensures that Cuba "will never return to capitalism as a regime based on the exploitation of man by man, and that only socialism and communism allow the human being to reach his full dignity ".

Faced with this, the bishops recall that "The Christian can not be forced to submit to a conception of reality that does not correspond to his human conscience enlightened by faith."

The church urges citizens who "with their responsible vote and their conscience" contribute to "the building of a society in which all Cubans feel respected in their rights (…) without exclusion."

The new constitution seeks to replace the current 1976 government and recognizes the role of the market, private property and foreign investment in the country's economy.

After the popular debate last year, the article that defined marriage as "the union of two people" and opened the way to same-bad marriage was removed from the text.

The new wording says that marriage is "a social and legal institution and a means of organizing families". He recognizes "the stable and singular union with legal aptitude" and the projects of the common life.

However, he leaves to the laws and to an upcoming referendum the definitions of who are the spouses. Given this, the church believes that the definition of "the union between the man and the woman" as the foundation of the family should have been maintained.

For the Catholic Church, as the text has written, "the way is open for marriage to be recognized in the future as the union of people of the same bad with all its prerogatives ".