Cuban authorities thanked the message sent by the Pope Francisco on the occasion of a quarter of a century of the visit of John Paul II to the island.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked Francisco for “his kind words on the occasion of commemorating the 25th anniversary of that historic visit.”
In addition, the president pointed out on Twitter that “the Cuban people and government preserve, with affection and respect, memories of the pastoral visit of John Paul II.”
The Cuban people and government preserve, with affection and respect, memories of John Paul II’s pastoral visit to our country.
We thank His Holiness Pope Francis for his kind words on the occasion of the upcoming commemoration of the 25th anniversary of that historic visit. pic.twitter.com/iNyeJzq0qd
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) January 15, 2023
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, also thanked the Supreme Pontiff for his message and noted that the Cuban people “feel honored to receive, once again, the greeting and expressions of sympathy from His Holiness Pope Francis ”.
Our people feel honored to receive, once again, the greeting and expressions of sympathy from His Holiness Pope Francis.
We thank @Pontifex_es for his message, on the occasion of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the apostolic visit of John Paul II to #Cuba.
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) January 14, 2023
In your message this saturdayFrancis encouraged Cubans “to give new impetus to continue building the future of their nation with hope and determination.”
He also described as “a moment of grace and blessing for all” the trip of John Paul II in 1998, the first by a Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church to the island.
He recalled his words during his visit when he urged Cubans to “face the great challenges of the present moment with strength and temperance, with justice and prudence, return to their Cuban and Christian roots, and do everything in their power to build a a more dignified and freer future”.
After the historic visit of John Paul II, in 1998, his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI also traveled to Cuba in 2012 and three years later Francis himself.
EFE / OnCuba
