The Catholic church in Cuba, the only political interlocutor recognized by the country's communist government, called Saturday for "dialogue and negotiation" two weeks after a rare protest over freedom of expression.

Church leaders in a Christmas message said "good news for Cubans would be for intolerance to give way to a healthy plurality, dialogue and negotiation between those who have different opinions and criteria."

The message from the Cuban church's episcopal conference posted to its website comes after some 300 artists engaged in a rare spontaneous protest in front of the culture ministry on November 27 to push for greater freedom of expression.

A group of young intellectuals and artists demonstrate outside the Culture Ministry in Havana, November 2020
A group of young intellectuals and artists demonstrate outside the Culture Ministry in Havana, November 2020 AFP / YAMIL LAGE

The ministry agreed to receive a 30-member delegation from the protest, but authorities hardened their stance the following day, denouncing what they called a US plot and eventually breaking off dialogue.

Cuba's government then on December 6 met with young artists who it described as not having compromised their work with "enemies of the revolution" in a bid to marginalize the November 27 protesters.

Cuba