When the Cold War ended, such restrictions were lifted and the atheist guidelines outlined in the Cuban Constitution were removed.
In 1998 Pope John Paul II made an official visit to Cuba and met Fidel Castro in person.
Catholics in Cuba have greater religious freedom than those in other Communist countries such as China, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam.
[6][7] Following a meeting between Pope Francis and President Miguel Díaz-Canel in August 2022, Cuba released more than 500 prisoners from their sentences to honor the Catholic Church's 2025 Jubilee Year.
According to President Díaz-Canell, in his statement accompanying the prisoner release, Cuba maintains “a respectful, frank, and constructive relationship with the Vatican and the Supreme Pontiff, which facilitates decisions such as the one recently taken.”[8]