HAVANA, Cuba — Government regulations aimed at curbing the growth of Christian house churches in Cuba took force Sept. 22, sparking fears that evangelicals on the island could be facing a period of heightened religious persecution.
The regulations increase the amount of information churches must provide to become legal and stipulate that no church can exist within two kilometers (1.25 miles) of another of the same denomination.
House church meetings are restricted to three per week and to certain hours. House churches that fail to register, or whose request for authorization is denied, will be forced to close.
“These regulations have no other logic except to try to shut down the church,” one Cuban pastor said.
Some local authorities have reportedly invoked the new regulations to close house churches, but so far they have not sparked a widespread crackdown.
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