Cuba building first church after 56 years, mosque will follow

Cuba Communist Party has allowed a religious sanctuary to be constructed in the western province of Pinar del Rio for the first time after the 1959 revolution.  The Catholic Church will be the first sanctuary and a mosque and synagogue will be built as well. The new church represents a mending of relations between the Catholic Church and Cuban government.

The bishop of Pinar del Rio has said that the church will be named "Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesus" and will cover 200 square meters. Around 36,000 people live in the town, and many are practicing Catholics.

Cuban media published that other religious sanctuaries will also be built after the church. There have been demands made by Turkey, Russia and Israel and Cuba is expected to prioritize the wishes of these countries.

During his Latin America tour, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan talked to Prime Minister Raul Castro about the desire to build a mosque in Cuba and Castro expressed he was in favor of a mosque to be built.