(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is to receive the President of Cuba, Raul Castro, this coming Sunday, May 10th, in private audience. The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, confirmed the audience on Tuesday, in response to questions from journalists.
Few details are known about the audience itself: it will be “strictly private,” according to Fr. Lombardi, SJ, and will take place in the Holy Father’s study inside the Paul VI Hall.
The statement confirming the visit goes on to recall some of the context of the visit, including the instrumental part Pope Francis played in achieving the first significant thaw in relations between Cuba and the US since the Communist revolution on the island, led by Raul Castro’s elder brother, Fidel Castro, in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.
“As we know,” the statement reads, “President Raul Castro has publicly thanked Pope Francis for the role he played in the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States of America.”
When Castro and US President Barack Obama announced their intentions to continue work on improving relations, Obama said, “His Holiness Pope Francis issued a personal appeal to me, and to Cuba’s President Raul Castro.”
Developments in bilateral relations continue, meanwhile, with the US Treasury Department on Monday approving the return of passenger ferry services between the United States and Cuba.
In the wake of the developments on the diplomatic front between Cuba and the US, it was also announced that the Holy Father would be adding a trip to Cuba, visiting the island nation in September of this year, ahead of his visit to the United States at the end of that month.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is to receive the President of Cuba, Raul Castro, this coming Sunday, May 10th, in private audience. The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, confirmed the audience on Tuesday, in response to questions from journalists. Few details are known about the audience itself: it…
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The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, has confirmed that Pope Francis will receive in private audience the President of the Republic of Cuba, Raul Castro Ruz. The meeting is scheduled to take place during the morning of Sunday, May 10th, in the papal studio of the Paul VI Hall in…
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The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, has confirmed that Pope Francis will receive in private audience the President of the Republic of Cuba, Raul Castro Ruz. The meeting is scheduled to take place during the morning of Sunday, May 10th, in the papal studio of the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. President Castro recently publicly thanked the Pope for the role he played in bringing Cuba and the USA closer together. Pope Francis will travel to Cuba in September before heading to the United States as part of his pastoral journey….
(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Vatican Press Office Father Federico Lombardi said Pope Francis is an enthusiastic supporter of peace education in schools. Father Lombardi was speaking at a press conference in the Vatican on Tuesday held to speak about the “Factory of Peace” project that has been launched by leading educational, political and church figures to help schoolchildren realise the importance of peace and dialogue with others. The press conference comes just days before a scheduled meeting between Pope Francis and seven thousand children in the Vatican (on May 11th) to talk about the themes of peace, love, welcome and integration.
Father Lombardi quoted Pope Francis’ words: “We will not change the world unless we change education” and said the Holy Father has reiterated the need to foster a “culture of encounter” which can then build a harmonious and peaceful world. Such an encounter is not “vague and abstract, but an invitation to genuinely meet real people in order to initiate a thorough exchange and therefore a common path to a better society.” Father Lombardi went on to stress that this message of encounter must be repeated over and over again, in order to address world problems such as conflict, hardship, exclusion and the plight of migrants and refugees. He said the Pope is convinced that many of these problems can be traced back to a culture of waste, which itself stems from a selfish attitude.
Pope Francis has been leading the way in this endeavour long before his election as Pope. Whilst serving as Archbishop of Buenos Aires he founded the Scholas Occurentes organisation to promote networking between schools in different countries. The organisation uses sports, arts and technology to bring young people together and create a common bond.
(from Vatican Radio)…