The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, extended on Monday an emphatic gratitude for his official visit to Cuba and a warm welcome to the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Reverend Dr. Jerry Pillay.
In the capital's Palacio de las Convenciones, the Head of State spoke with the important religious leader, to whom he said that the meeting is very significant, because it gives continuity to others, including the one that took place recently in New York. "It is an expression of all the support, of all the sensitivity you have for the problems of the Cuban people," he said.
As a "fact that gives us strength, gives us energy, and allows us to see in its true magnitude all the problems we have," the president described this visit that takes place, he stressed, at a time of complexities for the country.
"Here we are. With an intensified blockade, but here we are", the President stressed, and highlighted the context of the sessions of the National Assembly of People's Power, in which, he said, "we are also going to discuss possible solutions to this situation; which are not magic solutions "all have complexity, have risk", but it is a path we have to follow to be able to correct distortions, problems".
He emphasized that the main base of our problems is the blockage; a cause, he pointed out, that "we cannot remove because it does not depend on us", and in spite of which "we have to work on the other things".
Reverend Dr. Jerry Pillay affirmed that "it is a joy and a privilege to be here with you today. This is my second visit to Cuba, and once again we have been treated wonderfully".
The religious leader commented that this is the first time he has come to the Caribbean nation in his capacity as WCC general secretary. "Thank you very much," he said, "for recognizing the role we have been playing in supporting Cuba in all its struggles.
The Reverend spoke of how explicit they have been, "and not only have we been against the blockade: we have also opposed the inclusion of Cuba on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
"Coming here to Cuba and experiencing what we have experienced confirms once again what we believe in, and what we do not believe in", stressed the religious leader, who took advantage of the meeting to value the Cuban reality: "I wanted to thank you, mainly, for the freedom of religion that exists in this country".
In the meeting, Díaz-Canel was accompanied by the member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party and head of its Ideological Department, Rogelio Polanco Fuentes; as well as Caridad Diego Bello, head of the Office of Attention to Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Party.
