Presiding Bishop Griswold visits Cuba

Presiding Bishop Griswold visits Cuba
The origin of the Episcopal Church in Cuba can be found in the visit in
1871 of Bishop Whittle of the Episcopal Church of the United States

Monday, February 27, 2006
Spero News

Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold visited Cuba on a five-day visit to Cuba
last February 24. Griswold was hosted by La Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba, a
diocese governed by a Metropolitan Council in matters of faith and order.

Council members of the Diocese of Cuba include the Primate of Canada,
the Archbishop of the West Indies, and the President Bishop of the
Episcopal Church's newest Province, the Anglican Church of the Central
American Region.

Griswold was accompanied by Alex Baumgarten, international policy
analyst in the Office of Government Relations; Barbara Braver, the
Presiding Bishop's assistant for communication; Brian Grieves, director
of Peace and Justice Ministries; Juan Marquez, Latin America and
Caribbean partnerships officer in the Office of Anglican and Global
Relations; and Bob Williams, director of communication.

The origin of the Episcopal Church in Cuba can be found in the visit in
1871 of Bishop Whittle of the Episcopal Church of the United States. On
his way to Haiti, Whittle stopped off at Havana, which was in the grip
of an epidemic at the time.

Whittle was disturbed by the lack of spiritual comfort available for the
dying, the number of clergy in the Roman Catholic Church being too few
to offer adequate support.

Out of this experience, on his return to the United States, he persuaded
the Episcopal Church to send missionaries to Cuba.

The Cuban church separated from the Episcopal Church in 1967 due to
political tensions with the United States. With about 10,000 Anglicans
out of a population of 11.4 million, the church currently consists of
about 45 churches and 25 clergy

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