Decayed Catholic churches in Cuba to be restored as part of quiet reconciliation between Church and state

In this Dec. 1, 2014, a guard walks inside the chapel of the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Since late 2009, President Raul Castro's government has been quietly returning some church property that was confiscated in the years after the Cuban revolution, including this chapel. The rest of the university property was not returned. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, graffiti covers a wall next to an altar and debris inside the chapel of the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. The church is planning to restore the building to its former glory, along with more a dozen more churches, parish houses and other buildings, as part of a quiet reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government that has brought relations to a historic high point this Christmas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, a damaged statue of Saint Tomas stands outside the chapel of the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. The church is planning to restore the building to its former glory, along with more a dozen more churches, parish houses and other buildings, as part of a quiet reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government that has brought relations to a historic high point this Christmas. Authorities have also given permission for the construction of the first two new churches in more than five decades. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, debris decorated with crosses lays inside a chapel at the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Since late 2009, President Raul Castro's government has been quietly returning some church property, including this chapel. The church and the Cuban government were in a state of open hostility in the years immediately after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power, a time when some anti-Castro military used churches to store weapons. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, electrical switches hang on a cross inside the chapel at the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Since late 2009, President Raul Castro's government has been quietly returning some church property that was confiscated by the government, including this chapel. The church and the Cuban government were in a state of open hostility in the years immediately after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power, a time when some anti-Castro military used churches to store weapons. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)