About 700 people cheered an icon of Cuba's patron saint, the Virgin of Charity, and took communion from Cardinal Jaime Ortega in the tree-shaded town square of Santiago de las Vegas, on the southern edge of Havana.

Shouts of ``Long live John Paul II! . . . Long live Cuba!'' rose from the congregation as a stream of bicyclists rode by on the muddy, rutted street bordering the park.

A similar service planned in another neighborhood Oct. 12 was forced indoors, evidence of lingering tensions between the Roman Catholic Church and the Communist state.

Caridad Diego, chief of the Communist Party's office on religious issues, said Communist officials reserve the right to limit outdoor worship services or processions if they believe there could be ``political manipulation'' of the observances.

But, other than a brief power failure -- common in Cuba -- there were no problems during Saturday's Mass, one of a series authorized by the government to pave the way for the papal visit, scheduled Jan. 21-25.

The outdoor Masses are extraordinary events in a country that banned public religious celebrations in 1961, the year Cuba officially embraced socialism and atheism.

Relations have improved since 1991, when the Communist Party said religious devotees could be members. But the number of churches and the scope of church activities remain limited.

The Mass and the upcoming papal visit ``frankly are marvelous,'' said Jose Manuel Rodriguez, a 47-year-old stevedore assisting at the service.

``Cubans had been marginalized from religion by the state . . . but that is something that is passing,'' he said. ``The people feel more relaxed.''

Ortega briefly thanked officials for cooperating with the Mass. His homily was devoted to urging Cubans to prepare for the papal visit and to discussing passages from the New Testament book of Luke.

Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald