Santeria priests in Cuba make predictions for the new year. (Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)

 
    MIAMI _ Cuba will have a rough 1994, marked by the erosion of President Fidel Castro's powers, treason and repression. But the year will also see a measure of conciliation, not the final collapse of its political or economic system. 
    Those are some of the predictions for the new year made by one of Cuba's oldest groups of Santeria priests, known as ``babalawos,'' who also foresee severe outbreaks of skin diseases and a siege of natural disasters including droughts and excessive rainfall. 
    For centuries, Santeria high priests have gathered in Cuba each New Year's Day to read the signs and attempt to divine what the gods of the Afro-Cuban religion have in store for the coming year. 
    This year was no different, but what came after was. 
    One group of babalawos on good terms with the Cuban government held a news conference in Havana …