7News spoke to the group upon arrival, and they expressed how personal this mass is to them.
Advertisement
The couple and their five children, ages 4 to 18, will be part of an 80-member contingent of Inland Empire residents who will make the trip to Philadelphia.
While it was unclear whether Obama or Castro initiated the call, the two discussed the “process of normalization between the two countries” in advance of Pope Francis’ upcoming visits to Cuba and the United States.
Pope Francis is becoming known as the pope of mercy, a pope who Burbidge said is making a real connection with people. He’ll celebrate Mass on Sunday morning in Havana’s Plaza of the Revolution, on Monday in the central-eastern city of Holguin, and on Tuesday at the sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre in far-eastern Cuba. Even before the Friday morning flight landed in Havana, Archbishop Thomas Wenski gave a blessing.
The Secret Service told The Associated Press that about 80,000 people with tickets distributed mostly through local parishes and an online lottery will fill the first three blocks in front of the pope’s altar for the Mass on September 27.
EDITOR’S NOTE: On January 21, 1998, Pope John Paul II became the first Catholic pontiff to visit Cuba, and more than 20 AP writers, editors, photographers and TV staffers arrived to cover the historic visit.
“The impression of his presence brings peace and especially a lot of hope”, she said.
For South Florida pilgrims, this moment is a special one.
POPE FRANCIS: Visit is scheduled from Saturday through Tuesday.
Another hot-button issue Francis will raise is religious liberty, following the legalization of gay marriage across the country and continued opposition by the USA church to the birth control coverage requirement in the Obama administration’s health care plan. The most recent modification of sanctions against the Communist nation include allowing US companies to open offices, warehouses, and bank accounts on the island.
The USA has yet to appoint its ambassador to Cuba but opened its embassy there last month. The visit begins in Havana, where he will be greeted as something of a hero to Cubans who rightly credit him with having helped restore diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, another Cuban-American and a Republican candidate for next year’s presidential election, said “President Obama’s eagerness to please the Castro regime knows no bounds”. “As he keeps offering one-sided concessions that will strengthen the brutal dictatorship”, he said.
Advertisement
FILE – In this March 27, 2014 file photo, Pope Francis and President Barack Obama share a word during their meeting, at the Vatican.
