(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis travels to Havana, on Saturday at the start of his ten day visit to Cuba, the United States and the United Nations in New York. The first part of that pastoral journey will take him to the Cuban capital and then on to the cities of Holguin and Santiago de Cuba on the south-eastern tip of the island, where he’ll rededicate the Caribbean country to Our Lady of Charity of ‘El Cobre’. Pope Francis follows in the footsteps of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who visited Cuba in 2012 and of Pope John Paul II, who was the first pontiff to travel to the communist country in 1998. But Francis will be the first Latin American pope to visit the island, just two months after the announcement of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States – a historic development with which the Vatican was closely involved. Oblate Father Andrew Small is director the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, but back in the early 2000s he travelled regularly to Cuba as secretary of the U.S. Bishops’ office for Latin America. Ahead of the Pope’s departure, he talked to Philippa Hitchen about the importance of U.S.-Cuban relations and about the welcome Pope Francis will receive from the Cuban people… Listen:
Fr Andrew say the Cuban Church has always been strongly supported by the Church in the United States and that the U.S. bishops have constantly worked for the lifting of the economic embargo that has had such serious repercussions on the lives of ordinary Cubans. Since the “shifting sands following the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and Cuba’s realignment, less with the Soviet bloc and more with certain forces in Latin America”, Fr Andrew says the economic isolation of the country has continued. But he traces the “reforms and opening up to ownership of small businesses” that have taken place since the previous papal visits….. Fr Andrew notes that the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba has always been very tense and “complicated by forces on the ground” such as the “old guard” in Havana and the exile community in Miami and the Eastern United States. Following the handover of power from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul, Fr Andrew says the new Cuban leader found it “difficult to free himself from the more hardline forces” that were keeping the “memory and principles of the revolution” alive. But the Cuban Church, he continues, has always been “a key partner in helping some of those openings happen without losing face or seeming as if the revolution was crumbling”…. Fr Andrew says that Pope Francis has many advantages as the first Latin American Pope in that he understands the political context of the region and knows many of the players personally. He is “able to come into that and try to seek some new beginning – which is what the party seemed to want but never knew how to get there”, he says. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a videomessage to the people of Cuba on the eve of his Apostolic visit to the country. In the message to the people of Cuba which was broadcast on Thursday evening, Pope Francis said he was visiting their country to share their faith and their hope. He expressed the joy he felt when thinking about their fidelity to the Lord, and the strength it gave him thinking about the courage with which they face the difficulties of everyday and the love with which they help and support each other along the path of life.
Listen
In his broadcast the Pope said his message was a very simple one, but he added, an important and necessary one. It is, Pope Francis said, that Jesus loves you so much, Jesus loves you completely.
The Holy Father continued saying that the Lord loves you from the heart.
“He knows better than anyone else what everyone needs, what are your longings, what is your deepest desire. He never abandons us, and even when we don’t act as he expects us to, he said, Jesus is always at our side, ready to welcome us, to comfort us, to give us a new hope, a new opportunity, a new life.
Thanking the Cuban people for their prayers in advance of his visit, Pope Francis said he wanted to be with them as a missionary of mercy, adding “let me also encourage you to be missionaries of the infinite love of God.
Noting that he would be visiting the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Cobre as a pilgrim, the Holy Father entrusted this Apostolic journey to her.
Pope Francis will visit Cuba from the 19-22 of September.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Pietro Parolin says migration will be one of the most important themes raised by Pope Francis during his visit to Cuba and the U.S. from the 19th to the 28th of September. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with the Vatican Television Centre, Cardinal Parolin also confirmed that the Pope would definitely relaunch his message during his speeches to the U.S. Congress and the United Nations about the need to care for creation that was at the heart of his recent encyclical Laudato Si. The cardinal spoke too about how he hoped the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan missionary, would encourage integration within the U.S. Church of an increasingly relevant and important Hispanic component in the nation.
Asked first about the journey to Cuba and the rapprochement between Havana and Washington, Cardinal Parolin reiterated the Holy See’s view that the (U.S.) economic embargo against Cuba should be lifted. At the same time, he said the bishops hoped that this step could be accompanied “by a greater opening (in Cuba) when it comes to freedom and human rights.”
Touching next on the Pope’s visit to the Shrine of Our lady of Charity of Cobre in Cuba, Cardinal Parolin said it was a “normal” thing to do, because of “the strong Marian devotion of the Latin American and Cuban people” and by going there the Pope would encounter the heart of the Caribbean island and its people.
Asked next whether migration would be one of the main themes of the papal visit to the U.S., Cardinal Parolin said he was sure this would be the case because this is an issue very keenly felt by the Pope to which he often refers. The Cardinal said it was his earnest hope that this encounter between the Pope who is carrying this problem within his heart and a nation that has experienced many waves of migrants landing on its shores “can offer some guidelines” for resolving this ongoing migration crisis.
During his visit to the U.S. Pope Francis is due to canonize blessed Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan missionary, whom he has described as the founding father of the United States. When asked whether this event is a call for the U.S. to rediscover its Spanish and Catholic history, Cardinal Parolin agreed. He said the main message offered by this canonization is to encourage integration within the U.S. Church of an “increasingly important and relevant Hispanic component” in the nation.
Turning next to two keenly awaited speeches by Pope Francis, one to the U.S. Congress and another to the United Nations, Cardinal Parolin was asked whether the Pope is likely to relaunch the message contained within his Laudato Si encyclical. He replied saying “yes, definitely” but added that he believed the Pope’s remarks would extend beyond the issue of climate change and encompass a “more integral ecology” that takes into consideration the transcendental nature of the human person possessing fundamental rights, “especially the right to life and religious freedom.”
Asked about the criticism that have been raised by some in the U.S. who consider the papal encyclical an excessively strong attack on the capitalist system, Cardinal Parolin responded by saying he believed the Pope would invite everybody to reflect on those issues, adding that it was realistic to realize that “things are not going in the right direction” and therefore there’s also a need to find ways of solving this. “We need a change,” he said.
The final question put to Cardinal Parolin concerned the Pope’s meeting with families from around the world in the U.S. city of Philadelphia and whether that would be the final chance to listen to families on the road leading to next month’s Synod of Bishops on the Family taking place in the Vatican. The Cardinal said he agreed with that and said what will emerge from this meeting is the beauty of the family and the help that the Gospel can offer to families. He said this would be the positive side, without forgetting the great challenges on this issue. Concluding, the cardinal said the meeting in Philadelphia would give the whole Church “a new enthusiasm” and a desire to proclaim the gospel of the family, whilst at the same time, “helping families who find themselves in whatever type of difficulties in living the Gospel in its fullness which is a source of joy, peace and happiness for all.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
Vatican City, 17 September 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father Francis received in audience the Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States. The cordial discussions offered the opportunity to reaffirm the wish to consolidate the existing good relations between the Holy See and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to consider issues of common interest, with special attention to the relationship between Church and State, underlining the relevance of religious freedom and spiritual values for social cohesion. Within the context of Luxembourg’s term of presidency of the European Union, attention then turned to various matters of a European and international nature, with particular reference to current conflicts, the issue of migration and the need to provide assistance to refugees and displaced persons, as well as the situation of persecuted religious minorities….
Vatican City, 17 September 2015 (VIS) – “One of the most overwhelming human tragedies of recent decades are the terrible consequences that the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have on civilian populations as well as on cultural heritage. Millions of people are in distressing state of urgent need. They are forced to leave their native lands. Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey today carry the weight of millions of refugees, which they have generously received. Faced with such a situation and conflicts that are expanding and disturbing in an alarming way the internal and regional equilibrium, the international community seems unable to find adequate solutions while the arms dealers continue to achieve their interests”. With these words the Pope addressed the participants in the meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Syria and Iraq, organised by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, attended by Catholic charitable bodies and the bishops of the region, among others, and to which more than thirty organisations have lent their support. Francis went on to emphasise that “today, unlike in the past, atrocities and unspeakable human rights violations, which characterise these conflicts, are transmitted live by the media. Therefore, they captured the attention of the whole world. No one can pretend not to know! Everyone is aware that this war weighs in an increasingly unbearable way on the shoulders of the poor. We need to find a solution, which is never a violent one, because violence only creates new wounds”. In this “ocean of pain”, he urged the attendees at the meeting to give special attention to the material and spiritual needs of the weakest and most defenceless: “I think particularly of the families, the elderly, the sick and the children. Children and young people, the hope of the future, are deprived of basic rights: to grow up in the serenity of the family, to be looked after and cared for, to play and study. With the continuation of the conflict, millions of children are deprived of the right to education and, consequently, they see the horizon of their future becoming obscured. Do not miss your commitment in this vital area”. “There are many victims of this conflict: I think in all of them and I pray for all. However, I cannot fail to mention the serious harm to the Christian communities in Syria and Iraq, where many brothers and sisters are oppressed because of their faith, driven from their land, kept in prison or even killed. For centuries, the Christian and Muslim communities have lived together in these lands on the basis of mutual respect. Today the very legitimacy of the presence of Christians and other religious minorities is denied in the name of a ‘violent fundamentalism claiming to be based on religion’. Yet, the Church responds to the many attacks and persecution that she suffers in those countries by bearing witness to Christ with courage, through her humble and fervent presence, sincere dialogue and the generous service in favour of whoever is suffering or in need without any distinction”. The Pope remarked that “in Syria and Iraq, evil destroys buildings and infrastructures, but especially the conscience of man. In the name of Jesus, Who came into the world to heal the wounds of humanity, the Church feels called to respond to evil with good by promoting an integral human development of ‘each man and of the whole man’. To answer this difficult call, Catholics must strengthen the intra-ecclesial collaboration and the bonds of communion which unite them with other Christian communities, seeking also cooperation with international humanitarian institutions and with all men of good will. I encourage you, therefore, to continue on the path of cooperation and sharing, and working together and in synergy. Please: do not abandon the victims of this crisis, even if the world’s attention were to lessen”. “I ask that you all bring my message of profound solidarity and closeness to those who are in trial and enduring the tragic consequences of this crisis”, he concluded. “In communion with you and with your communities, I pray unceasingly for peace and the end of the torments and injustices in your beloved lands”….