Cuba recalls Father Félix Varela’s 235th birthday

Havana, Nov 20 (Prensa Latina) Cubans recall on Monday the 235th birthday of Father Félix Varela, who is considered a thinker of enormous significance for acknowledging the independence of America from the Spanish metropolis.

November 20, 2023
08:55

Born in Havana on November 20, 1788, Varela was a priest, teacher, writer, philosopher, and politician who played a significant role in Cuba’s intellectual, political, and religious life during the first half of the 19th century.

Persecuted and condemned to death by the absolutist authorities, Varela went into exile in the United States at the age of 35, where he spent the rest of his life.

The renowned scholar died in 1853, and his remains lie at the Main Lecture hall of Havana University, a fitting fate for the man defined by the Cubans as “the one who taught us to think.”

The process for Varela’s beatification was officially opened in 1996. It is currently in the phase of presenting the complementary documents.

Pope Benedict XVI declared Father Félix Varela as “venerable” in 2012.

jrr/iff/jf/mpp