- HOLY FATHER ASKS CUBAN PRESIDENT TO RE-ESTABLISH GOOD FRIDAY AS A HOLIDAY
______________________________________
THE
POPE ENTRUSTS THE FUTURE OF CUBA TO THE VIRGIN, "FOR THE GREATER
GOOD OF ALL CUBANS"
Vatican
City, 27 March 2012 (VIS) - At 9.30 a.m. today, the Holy Father
travelled to the Shrine of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del
Cobre", patron of Cuba, where he was greeted by the archbishop
of Santiago de Cuba, and by the shrine's rector. The Holy Father
paused in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament then before the image
of the Virgin. He lit a candle and recited the prayer of the Virgin
of Charity, the Jubilee Year ritual by which pilgrims may obtain
plenary indulgence.
He
then went to the main entrance of the building from where he greeted
and blessed the faithful gathered on the square and the steps leading
up to the shrine. "Receive the affection of the Pope",
Benedict XVI told them, "and carry it with you from this place,
so that everyone can experience consolation and strength in faith.
Let all those you meet know, whether near or far, that I have
entrusted to the Mother of God the future of your country, advancing
along the ways of renewal and hope, for the greater good of all
Cubans. I have also prayed to the Virgin for the needs of those who
suffer, of those who are deprived of freedom, those who are separated
from their loved ones or who are undergoing times of difficulty. I
have placed in her Immaculate Heart young people, that they may be
authentic friends of Christ and that they may not succumb to things
which bring sadness in their wake.
"Before
Mary of Charity, I remember in a particular way Cubans who are the
descendants of those who arrived here from Africa, like the nearby
people of Haiti, where the consequences of the earthquake of two
years ago are still being suffered. And I cannot forget the many
country people and their families who wish to live the Gospel deeply
in their homes and who offer their homes as mission centres for the
celebration of Mass.
"Following
the example of the Most Holy Virgin", the Pope concluded, "I
encourage all the sons and daughters of this dear country to continue
to build their lives on the firm rock which is Jesus Christ, to work
for justice, to be servants of charity and to persevere in the midst
of trials. May nothing or no one take from you your inner joy which
is so characteristic of the Cuban soul".
The
history of Our Lady of Charity and her shrine, the most venerated
pilgrim site in Cuba, began in 1606 when three fishermen - two Indios
and a black slave - found a wooden image of the Mother of Christ
inscribed with the words "I am the Virgin of Charity"
floating on the waters of Nipe Bay. The statue was taken to the mine
of El Cobre where the first shrine was built in 1684. It was at the
shrine that, in the year 1801, the "Manifesto for the Liberation
of the Slaves of the El Cobre Mines" was proclaimed. In 1916,
Pope Benedict XV proclaimed the Virgin of Charity patron of Cuba. The
current shrine was inaugurated in 1927, and Pope Paul VI granted it
the title of minor basilica in 1977.
HOLY
FATHER ASKS CUBAN PRESIDENT TO RE-ESTABLISH GOOD FRIDAY AS A HOLIDAY
Vatican
City, 27 March 2012 (VIS) - Having completed his visit to the Shrine
of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre", the Holy
Father was taken to the airport of Santiago de Cuba where he boarded
a flight for the nation's capital city Havana.
The
Pope arrived at Jose Marti airport at midday local time (7 p.m. in
Rome), where he was welcomed by Raul Castro, president of Cuba, who
had not been scheduled to be present; by Cardinal Jaime Ortega y
Alamino, archbishop of San Cristobal de La Habana, by the local
authorities and by hundreds of children holding white and yellow
flowers.
After
having had lunch at the apostolic nunciature, Benedict XVI travelled
by car to the Palacio de la Revolucion where he paid a courtesy visit
to President Raul Castro. Since 1965 the building complex known as
Palacio de la Revolucion has been home to the Council of State, the
Office of the President, the Council of Ministers and the Central
Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.
Holy
See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. described the
meeting between the two men as "long, cordial and serene".
Their discussions, he said, had focused on the condition of the Cuban
people, including humanitarian issues and the Church’s expectations
in her service of the common good. The Pope also made a specific
request for Good Friday to be re-established as a holiday.
At
the end of their meeting the Pope and President Castro exchanged
gifts. Benedict XVI gave the Cuban leader a facsimile of Ptolemy's
"Geography", and the president gave him a bronze
reproduction of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre".
The Holy Father then returned to the apostolic nunciature where he
dined with Cuban bishops.
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