The former head of State of the Holy See arrived in Cuba on March 26, 2016, as part of the Jubilee Year on the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the image of the Lady of Caridad del Cobre, which Catholics consider the country’s patron saint.
His first contact with Cubans occurred in the city of Santiago de Cuba, where he was welcomed at the Antonio Maceo International Airport by the then Cuban President Raul Castro, before being greeted by the people during their journeys on the streets of the city.
It was there that Benedict XVI officiated the first of two masses in Cuba, for which, according to estimates, more than 200,000 people gathered in the Antonio Maceo Revolution Square.
In this and other events, the Supreme Pontiff could appreciate the cordiality and respect shown by Cubans, who came out to greet him in different settings and were attentive to the passage of his panoramic car, known as the popemobile.
The day after his arrival, Benedict XVI visited the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Caridad, in the town of El Cobre, where he stated that the presence of the patron saint is a gift from heaven for Cubans who, entrusted to her, will build the future along paths of renewal and hope.
On March 27, the Bishop of Rome traveled to Havana, where he meet with Raúl Castro at the Palace of the Revolution in a positive atmosphere, and focused on bilateral relations, the role of the Church in society, the national situation and the desire of the religious institution to contribute to the people’s welfare.
During the meeting, Raul Castro presented the Holy Father with a sculpture carved in guayacán timber of the Lady of Caridad del Cobre, while the Supreme Pontiff donated to the Cuban president a facsimile of an old volume from the Vatican Library, a Latin translation of Ptolemy’s geography.
On March 28, the last day of his pastoral stay, the Pope led a holy mass in Havana’s Revolution Square, where more than 300,000 people, believers and non-believers, were present to hear his message on various topics, including religious freedom.
Before leaving Cuba, Benedict XVI met with the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, whom he thanked for the expressions of affection received during his stay and explained the meaning of his travels around the world.
At the farewell ceremony at the José Martí International Airport, the Supreme Pontiff criticized the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba for more than six decades.
In an allusion to Washington’s anti-Cuba policy, he considered that the efforts to cement a renewed and reconciled society with broad horizons were affected when the “economic measures imposed from outside the country weigh negatively on the population.”
According to Vatican Spokesman Federico Lombardi at a press conference, during his days in Cuba, the Bishop of Rome met more than 500,000 people.
When asked by Prensa Latina, the spokesman stated that the visit complemented and gave greater depth to the atmosphere of spontaneity, hope and religiosity experienced months before in Cuba with the pilgrimage of the image of the Lady of Caridad del Cobre.
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