The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, received Wednesday His Eminence Cardinal Beniamino Stella at the Palace of the Revolution, where he expressed Cuba’s willingness to advance in the relations with the Holy See and the Catholic Church.
The envoy of Pope Francis, who arrived in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the apostolic journey of Pope John Paul II to the Republic of Cuba, has lived intense days in the country. In his meeting with president Díaz-Canel, the head of State spoke of continuing to build, with mutual benefit, paths that meet the expectations of both parties; and emphasized that this visit will also mark a very special moment to the relationship.
Referring to the visit of His Holiness John Paul II 25 years ago, the Cuban President said that it "had a great impact on the Cuban people." The dignitary described that visit as a milestone in the relations between the Holy See and the Cuban State, between the religious institution and the people.
The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba told to Cardinal Beniamino Stella he experienced a very moving experience of the visit of the Supreme Pontiff 25 years ago. In the city of Santa Clara, where he was the first secretary of the Communist Party in the province of Villa Clara, there was a permanent follow-up of the details of the Mass Pope John Paul II held there: "It was a beautiful Mass with a large attendance of people," he recalled.
John Paul II arrived in Cuba "in a very difficult moment, as difficult as the one we are living now; and, nevertheless, he was able to appreciate the talent, the generosity, the solidarity, and the moral values of the Cuban people," Díaz-Canel said highlighting the friendly spirit and warmth that Cubans showed to the Vatican Head of State during his visit.
Before the meeting at the Palace of the Revolution, there was another ceremony to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the apostolic trip of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II to the Caribbean country.
The Cuban dignitary, who attended the ceremony, described the earlier event as “beautiful” and in a meaningful place that symbols and tributes to Father Félix Varela, and because Pope John Paul II spoke there during his visit to Cuba.
Cubans have "a healthy pride because the last three Heads of State of the Vatican have visited our country", President Díaz-Canel stressed. In his understanding, each of those events "was a milestone." In this sense, he elaborated that John Paul II and his well-known request for Cuba to open up to the world and for the world to open up to Cuba; and the criticism made of the Supreme Pontiff to external sanctions.
Then Pope Benedict XVI, on whose recent death Cuba declared Official Mournig, visited us, said Díaz-Canel. Regarding this Vatican Head of State, the Caribbean dignitary acknowledged "that he also criticized the coercive measures against Cuba, imposed from abroad."
Regading the visit of a third Supreme Pontiff to the island, the host President mentioned Pope Francis, "with whom there has been a relationship of affection."
The President emphasized that there is "a very close and very intimate, human relationship of closeness between Pope Francis and Army General Raúl Castro." The Head of State of the Vatican "has made it public in several of his statements," said Díaz.
The president also spoke on the coincidence with many of the ideas of Pope Francis "on how to eliminate inequalities, on how to promote social justice; (his ideas) against war, for peace, concern for the environment. These are themes that we also share and follow," he expressed.
On the transcendence of his visit to the Island, the Cuban President expressed to His Eminence Cardinal Beniamino Stella that his arrival "has an enormous significance in this context", as it gives continuity to relations of more than eight decades between the Holy See and Cuba. "I believe that these are relations that have maintained an ethical height", stressed the dignitary, who also described such closeness as "respectful and close relations".
The host leader also took the opportunity of this exchange to convey an affectionate greeting, a recognition to Pope Francis, since "on March 13, it will be ten years since the beginning of his pontificate, and we want to wish him health and strength so that he can continue with his work that we appreciate so much." Likewise, he expressed his gratitude for "the position that the Holy See, and in particular Pope Francis, has taken in criticizing the blockade" that the U.S. government applies to Cuba.
In the same line of reasoning, he highlighted the efforts made by the incumbent Supreme Pontiff for "a dialogue between the Government of the United States and Cuba, so that we can resolve the differences we have in a civilized manner."
"You are welcome to Cuba; your visit to Cuba has been a fruitful one," said the host leader to Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who then spoke of the "many emotions" he felt with everything experienced in these days. He underlined the closeness between Pope Francis and Cuba, and especially that between him and the Army General Raul Castro Ruz, and openly acknowledged that "at this time the Bishops are grateful to the President and the Cuban Government for many gestures they have made in recent years and in the present time."
The distinguished visitor was accompanied by Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, Archbishop of Havana; Monsignor Giampiero Gloder, Apostolic Nuncio; Monsignor Emilio Aranguren Echeverría, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba and Bishop of Holguín; as well as the Most Reverend Monsignor Przemyslaw August Lewinski, Secretary of the Nunciature.
On the Cuban side were present the member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs (MINREX in Spanish), Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; member of the Secretariat and head of the Ideological Department in the Central Committee of the Party, Rogelio Polanco Fuentes; the head of the Office of Attention to Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Caridad Diego Bello; the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elio Rodríguez Perdomo; and Angel Villa Hernández, acting director of Bilateral Affairs of MINREX.
MEMORIES OF A HISTORIC VISIT
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the historic apostolic visit of Pope St. John Paul II to Cuba, the first by a Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church to our country, was remembered yesterday at the Aula Magna of the University of Havana (UH).
Miriam Nicado García, rector of the higher education center, evoked the transcendence of that trip between January 21 and 25, 1998, and his meeting with Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution.
Nicado Garcia quoted the words of John Paul II during those days: "I know too that in Cuba one can speak of a fruitful cultural dialogue which ensures a more harmonious growth and continuing development of the creative initiatives of civil society. In this country, most of those who shape culture — Catholic and non-Catholic, believers and non-believers — are people of dialogue, prepared both to speak and to listen."
Cardinal Beniamino Stella, envoy of Pope Francis, speaking at the meeting, said that these have been intense days of visits to the dioceses of the island, where he has witnessed first-hand the constant efforts of the churches to carry out their evangelizing mission, especially in the current difficulties.
He said that since the visit of John Paul II, the evangelizing mission of the Church in Cuba was given a boost, the pastoral work with the family has strengthened and the path of ecumenism has deepened.
Cardinal Stella expressed his wish that Cubans may realize their hopes and desires; that the Church may continue its mission and that the words of John Paul may be a driving force in the life and commitment of the Cuban people.
The closing remarks of the ceremony were delivered by the prestigious Cuban historian Eduardo Torres Cuevas, who has been a rigorous scholar of the figure of Father Felix Varela, who took the podium to give a moving speech. In a very beautiful dissertation, he stressed that, among other lessons, we learned from that great pedagogue and patriot that the philosopher must be tolerant, but must be a patriot above all; that science, conscience and virtue are maxims that Cubans inherited from that eminent teacher.
Torres Cuevas affirmed that "Varela was the founding father of an extraordinary movement, because he was the founder of our legal sciences; he was the founder of modern experimental physics in Cuba; he was the founder of pro-independence political thought, of patriotism, not patriotism; he was the founder of love for Cuba, and he was the first to write a message for young Cubans, with his Letters to Elpidio.
This was our Varela, he said; and he asserted that Martí inherited that entire legacy that entails the foundation of the Cuban idea, and his loving definition of the Homeland.
“His definition of Homeland," Torres Cuevas emphasized about José Martí, "is something extraordinary: a very sweet and consoling fusion of loves and hopes. Each concept has a value. Fusion: we all fuse in that sweet process that love implies, and that very sweet process is the one that leads to hope.
A very special, thrilling note was given by the Cuban maestro, composer and musician José María Vitier, who offered a performance of his works Bienaventuranzas -together with the prestigious flautist Niurka González-, and Ave María por Cuba, with the musician Abel Acosta and the soprano Bárbara Llanes.
Present at the ceremony were Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, member of the Political Bureau of the Party and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party and head of its Ideological Department and Caridad Diego Bello, head of the Office of Attention to Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Party.
Also in attendance were Monsignor Emilio Aranguren Echeverría, president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba; Monsignor Giampiero Gloder, Apostolic Nuncio in Cuba, and Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, Archbishop of Havana, among other personalities from the Government, the Party and ecclesiastical representatives.
Translated by ESTI
