The 78-year-old Argentine pope will celebrate Mass at the sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, the country’s holiest shrine and one also venerated by non-believers and practitioners of Afro-Cuban religions infused with varying degrees of Catholicism.
Advertisement
Pope Francis has concluded his Mass at the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre outside the eastern city of Santiago.
Pope Francis is expected to arrive in the US from Cuba this afternoon as he begins a six-day visit that includes appearances in the nation’s capital, New York City and Philadelphia.
According to the scheduled apostolic program, Pope Francis will then bless the city of Santiago de Cuba, and will leave for the local Antonio Maceo global Airport, where the farewell ceremony will take place.
Pope Francis arrives in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to kick off a six-day American tour in which he’ll meet the president, address Congress, speak to the United Nations, headline star-studded celebrations, lead thousands in prayer and visit with immigrants, prisoners and the homeless. Cuban officials have made no public statements about dissident activities during the pope visit. The Vatican spokesman said Monday night this trip was aimed partly at encouraging progress in the continuing effort to normalize U.S.-Cuba ties in fields ranging from commerce to environmental cooperation. They were evicted by police a few days later with the church’s blessing after Roman Catholic authorities secured a promise from the government that none would be prosecuted.
The foot-tall wooden statue is kept in an ivory-colored church with soaring red domes. In his homily, he pressed some of the subtle themes he has developed during this balancing act of a Cuban visit.
“She means so much”, said Juana Isabel Gonzalez Huart, a retired state worker.
An estimated 2 million Cubans have left the island since the 1959 revolution with some 1.3 million now living overseas , a lot of them in the United States, where many exiles remain bitterly estranged from their homeland. “She’s the mother who protects us”.
“If you are different than me, why don’t we talk?”
These young missionaries plan to revisit some of the towns they stayed in, to continue spreading the pope’s message.
As a result, Francis has emphasized themes of reconciliation and looking beyond prejudice and ideologies.
Advertisement
Francis appeared to be in some discomfort walking.
