NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      HAVANA (CWNews.com) - Cuba's Communist Party threw its support behind a call for the restoration of Christmas as a legal holiday in the Communist country on Tuesday, virtually guaranteeing the holiday's permanent return after three decades.

      The Communist government ended the celebration of the December 25 as a holiday in 1969, saying the extra day of work was need for the crucial sugar harvest. However, the officially atheist government instituted many measures during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s that sought to repress Christianity, including banning Christians from membership in the Communist Party, crucial for economic or political advancement.

      The government restored Christmas as a holiday last year as a welcoming gesture to Pope John Paul II who visited the country in January, but balked at declaring the holiday had returned permanently. On Tuesday, the Communist Party used the entire front page of the daily newspaper Granma to recommend that Christmas be restored as a holiday "from this year on."