MIAMI, United States. — Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Cristóbal de la Habana, took possession in Rome of the parish of Saints Aquila and Priscilla, which was assigned to him by the Pope after his appointment in 2019.
According to the Catholic magazine New wordthe Reception and Inauguration Mass took place in Rome, taking advantage of the presence of the Archbishop of Havana at the consistory of cardinals convened this Saturday by Pope Francis.
The Eucharist was presided over by the Cuban cardinal and concelebrated by Monsignor Darío Gervasi, auxiliary bishop of Rome.
In statements recently offered to the Spanish chain COPEJuan de la Caridad García thanked the gesture of the Catholic Church.
“It is a nice gesture, a very old story that a cardinal has a parish in Rome, which is the bishopric of the Pope. And that, as cardinals, we can also, somewhat symbolically, be present in that parish that he himself has designated for each one of us”.
The Cuban cardinal had not been able to take possession of his parish in Rome due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the celebration for more than two years.
“Now is a great opportunity that I cannot miss, to get to know my sheep from Rome a little, which are not mine, they belong to the Pope, but I am a collaborator in that sense,” added the Cuban Catholic.
Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez was appointed Archbishop of Havana by Pope Francis on April 26, 2016, replacing Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino.
On October 5, 2019, Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal in a ceremony held in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
In his capacity as Archbishop of Havana, Juan de la Caridad García has tried to mediate in the political crisis that the Island is going through, marked by popular discontent with the management of the Cuban regime.
On August 21, the Cuban cardinal asked the Cuban government for “a greater dialogue” with the Catholic Church and assured that the talks between the two parties remained at a standstill.
Throughout this year, the Archbishop of Havana has also met with relatives of several of the political prisoners detained last year for participating in the anti-government protests of July 2021.
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