By Serge F. Kovaleski
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, December 2, 1998; Page A31

HAVANA, Dec. 1—Nearly three decades after Christmas was officially canceled here, Cuba's ruling political body said today that the holiday should be reinstated. The declaration was a major concession to the Catholic Church, which is pushing to expand religious freedom in this tightly controlled Communist country.

The Politburo's decision was spurred in part by the visit here 10 months ago of Pope John Paul II, who urged President Fidel Castro to broaden the role of religion in Cuban society. The recommendation is expected to be approved by Castro's government within days.

In a lengthy declaration that appeared today on the front page of the Communist Party's official newspaper, Granma, the Politburo indicated that its shift on the issue was aimed in part at forging a closer alliance with the Vatican. The Cuban government considers itself in sync with the Vatican on critical Third World issues such as foreign debt, poverty and social inequality.

Referring to a recent meeting of Latin American bishops in the Vatican, the announcement cited "the broad possibilities of cooperation that are opening up to all people of good faith, regardless of any political, ideological or religious differences, to work together for the good of humanity."

While the move by the Politburo was interpreted by many as a dramatic departure from its orthodox Marxist-Leninist ideology, it insisted in its statement that reinstating Christmas as an official holiday did not contradict Cuba's revolutionary principles. The Politburo justified the ban on the Christmas holiday, imposed in 1969, as a defense against "imperialist" manipulation of religious sentiments and as a way of not disrupting the all-important sugar harvest.

Today's announcement was seen as further evidence of warming relations between Cuba and the Catholic Church.

"Making Christmas a holiday is very important because it shows the government is listening to the church," said Rolando Suarez, director of Cuban Catholic Relief Services, a Havana-based humanitarian organization.

The Cuban Catholic Bishops Conference said in a statement that the move by the Politburo "gives justice to our Christian cultural heritage, recognizes the profound religious sentiments of Cubans [and] reaffirms our authentic traditions."

Although the celebration of Christmas had been frowned upon by the Castro government, many Cubans have continued to mark the occasion with Christmas Eve dinners and by attending Mass. Moreover, with the advent of tourism on this Caribbean island, hotels and shops have increasingly put up Christmas decorations at this time of year in deference to their largely European and Latin American guests.

Although Catholicism was recognized as the official religion here before the 1959 Communist revolution, the church has never had as much influence in Cuba as in other Latin American societies. While an estimated 85 percent of the country's 11 million residents today claim to hold religious beliefs of some sort, many people are followers of Afro-Cuban religions such as Santeria.

Over the last decade, and especially since the economic crisis triggered by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Castro government has attempted to build bridges to Catholics and to other religious communities here.

In 1991, for instance, the Communist Party lifted its 25-year policy of barring the religiously faithful from party membership. A year later, the government revised Cuba's constitution, striking any references to the country as an atheist state.

Similarly, just before the pope's visit, the government started to give the church some limited freedoms, including access to local radio and the right to publish religious magazines. Last December, Castro, who was educated in a Catholic school, declared the Christmas prior to the pope's arrival a national holiday. Since the pontiff's departure, the government has permitted the church to conduct some open-air Masses.

Many Cubans greeted today's news about the Christmas holiday as a major step toward creating a more open society in Cuba.

"This creates more space for people to think and talk. It looks like the government is doing what the pope asked, for Cuba to be open to the world and the world to be open to Cuba," said Alberto Ortega, 45, a physical therapist and Catholic.

Others, however, expressed anger and frustration that Christmas had been taken from them in the first place.

Said Noemi Bosque, 27, a receptionist and Catholic, "They should have done this a long time ago. Everything that represents joy for human beings should always have been allowed, not just now."

Special correspondent Marc Frank contributed to this report.