Despite being baptised as a Roman Catholic, Fidel Castro became a persecutor of the Church after seizing power in Cuba in 1959.
Castro believed that the Catholic church was conspiring against his vision of an officially atheist state.
Under his communist rule schools were closed, priests exiled and organised religion driven underground – forcing many to hold masses in converted garages.
Last month, the first Roman Catholic church since the revolution was built in Sandino.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus in Sandino is the first of three new parishes to be built on the island and a symbol of hope to many.
Chris Ship meets those who have feared worshiping openly for so long, following this milestone in the state’s evolving relationship with organised religion.
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