Cuba approves entry of 19 more Catholic priests
 
                  HAVANA (Reuters) -- Cuba's Roman Catholic Church, enjoying better
                  relations with the ruling Communist Party since Pope John Paul II's January
                  visit, said Wednesday the communist state had approved the arrival of 19
                  more priests from abroad.

                  The measure, which is the first such new permission granted by the
                  government to the church in a year, would take to 305 the total number of
                  Catholic priests working on the island.

                  "There is a great shortage of priests, which is something the church has been
                  mentioning for some time, so this is an important and encouraging piece of
                  news," church spokesman Orlando Marquez said.

                  A church statement said the arriving priests-- five of whom are replacements
                  and 14 new positions-- include eight Colombians, three Spaniards, two
                  Italians, two foreign-based Cubans, a Mexican, a Maltese, an Argentine and
                  a Canadian.

                  The government has also given permission for the entry of 21 new religious
                  workers, the statement added.

                  All the new priests and religious workers have visa clearance from the
                  Cuban government and will enter the country in coming days, Marquez said.

                  The Cuban church, which was marginalized after Fidel Castro's 1959
                  revolution but won new concessions with the papal visit, has long
                  complained about the small numbers of staff it has on the Caribbean island of
                  11 million inhabitants.

                  Before the revolution, there were 700 priests for a population of 6 million,
                  according to church figures. And at a press conference last week, a church
                  leader, Monsignor Adolfo Rodriguez Herrera, noted that Cuba currently had
                  the smallest ratio of priests to population in the continent.

                  The pontiff, on his five-day visit, urged greater religious freedom in Cuba,
                  including permission for more priests.

                  The papal trip consolidated an apparent thawing towards religion in recent
                  years by a government that had in the past expelled priests, nationalized
                  church-run schools, abolished Christmas as a public holiday and allowed
                  discrimination in the workplace against those professing religion.

                  While occasionally complaining about the slow pace of change from Cuba's
                  government, Catholic leaders have been careful not to antagonize the
                  authorities this year. This has disappointed some, particularly among
                  opponents of Castro, who hoped the church might emerge after the pope's
                  visit as a more outspoken public counterweight to the Communist Party.

                  There was no immediate confirmation or comment from the government on
                  the church's announcement Wednesday.

                   Copyright 1998 Reuters.