Pope Francis in Havana: the face of the person beside you
(Vatican Radio) On the morning of the 20th of September, the first full day of the 10th Apostolic journey to Cuba, the United States and the United Nations of Pope Francis he presided over Holy Mass in Havana’s iconic ‘Plaza de la Revoluciòn highlighting the importance of service for Catholics. The head of Vatican Radio’s English programme Sean Patrick Lovett attended this event and shared with us his impressions.
Listen to Sean Patrick Lovett’s report:
I suppose I should be grateful (and, believe me, I am). Not everyone gets the chance to see Plaza de la Revolución, in the heart of Havana, at 6 o’clock in the morning. To stand beneath the haughty gaze of Che Guevara on the very spot where both John Paul II and Benedict XVI celebrated Mass (in 1998 and 2012 respectively).
Fortunately I was not alone. Thousands of people had gathered during the night to catch a glimpse of the man they believe can really make a difference to their lives. In effect, by facilitating the thaw between their island nation and the United States, he already has.
So when his open pope-mobile arrived to make the traditional ride-through of the crowd, they cheered and sang to the rhythm of a cha-cha and there was much of the usual hand-clapping, flag-agitating and familiar chanting that normally accompanies such outpourings of popular devotion and excitement.
Except for one thing: no one among the throng of faithful was taking selfies. Very few, in fact, were taking pictures at all. Conspicuous by their absence were the ubiquitous smartphones and tablets we’ve become accustomed to see rising above the ocean of faces reflected in their vitreous screens. No one was trying to immortalize this moment in a digital image or to crystalize their own presence here for all posterity. On the contrary, shocking as it may seem, people were actually looking at Pope Francis, making eye contact with him, reaching out and trying to touch him. It was like being back in the 20th century. But when I was told that the average salary here is around $40 a month and that a decent mobile phone costs five time that figure, I understood why.
I also understood why, as I was standing there in Plaza de la Revolución during the Papal Mass, I kept getting an eerie sensation that I was not only witnessing history in the making – I was witnessing history in the un-making. As I look around me here in Havana, I can’t help feeling that the days of those ageless Cuban icons (colourful 1950’s Chevrolets, colonial bodegas and hand-rolled cigars) are numbered. Doubtless some of them will survive, but only as picturesque touristic curiosities to be photographed.
Apparently, church bells tolled in Havana when the government announced the recent policy change with the United States of America and, certainly, the first fruits of a freer market economy can already be tasted: Cubans are now allowed to buy and sell property and hundreds of contracts are ready to be signed with some of the world’s biggest multinational companies.
Cuba could be a brave new world in the making, but I wonder what Pope Francis makes of it all? One line, in particular, in his homily at the Mass on Sunday morning, made me stop and think. He was speaking of the importance of service and of caring for what he called “the frailty of our brothers and sisters”. Then he said this: “Do not neglect them for plans which can be seductive but are unconcerned about the face of the person beside you”…
Perhaps, like me, he hopes that, when the time comes, Cubans will still see “the face of the person beside them” – even through their new smartphone.