Subject: VISnews120328
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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 66
DATE 28-03-2012
Summary:
- THE POPE ENTRUSTS THE FUTURE OF CUBA TO THE VIRGIN, "FOR THE GREATER GOOD
OF ALL CUBANS"
- HOLY FATHER ASKS CUBAN PRESIDENT TO RE-ESTABLISH GOOD FRIDAY AS A HOLIDAY
___________________________________________________________
THE POPE ENTRUSTS THE FUTURE OF CUBA TO THE VIRGIN, "FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF
ALL CUBANS"
Vatican City, 27 March 2012 (VIS) - At 9.30 a.m. today, the Holy Father
travelled to the Shrine of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre", patron of
Cuba, where he was greeted by the archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, and by the
shrine's rector. The Holy
Father paused in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament then before the image of
the Virgin. He lit a candle and recited the prayer of the Virgin of Charity,
the Jubilee Year ritual by which pilgrims may obtain plenary indulgence.
He then went to the main entrance of the building from where he greeted and
blessed the faithful gathered on the square and the steps leading up to the
shrine. "Receive the affection of the Pope", Benedict XVI told them, "and
carry it with you from this
place, so that everyone can experience consolation and strength in faith. Let
all those you meet know, whether near or far, that I have entrusted to the
Mother of God the future of your country, advancing along the ways of renewal
and hope, for the
greater good of all Cubans. I have also prayed to the Virgin for the needs of
those who suffer, of those who are deprived of freedom, those who are
separated from their loved ones or who are undergoing times of difficulty. I
have placed in her
Immaculate Heart young people, that they may be authentic friends of Christ
and that they may not succumb to things which bring sadness in their wake.
"Before Mary of Charity, I remember in a particular way Cubans who are the
descendants of those who arrived here from Africa, like the nearby people of
Haiti, where the consequences of the earthquake of two years ago are still
being suffered. And I
cannot forget the many country people and their families who wish to live the
Gospel deeply in their homes and who offer their homes as mission centres for
the celebration of Mass.
"Following the example of the Most Holy Virgin", the Pope concluded, "I
encourage all the sons and daughters of this dear country to continue to build
their lives on the firm rock which is Jesus Christ, to work for justice, to be
servants of charity and
to persevere in the midst of trials. May nothing or no one take from you your
inner joy which is so characteristic of the Cuban soul".
The history of Our Lady of Charity and her shrine, the most venerated pilgrim
site in Cuba, began in 1606 when three fishermen - two Indios and a black
slave - found a wooden image of the Mother of Christ inscribed with the words
"I am the Virgin of
Charity" floating on the waters of Nipe Bay. The statue was taken to the mine
of El Cobre where the first shrine was built in 1684. It was at the shrine
that, in the year 1801, the "Manifesto for the Liberation of the Slaves of the
El Cobre Mines" was
proclaimed. In 1916, Pope Benedict XV proclaimed the Virgin of Charity patron
of Cuba. The current shrine was inaugurated in 1927, and Pope Paul VI granted
it the title of minor basilica in 1977.
___________________________________________________________
HOLY FATHER ASKS CUBAN PRESIDENT TO RE-ESTABLISH GOOD FRIDAY AS A HOLIDAY
Vatican City, 27 March 2012 (VIS) - Having completed his visit to the Shrine
of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre", the Holy Father was taken to the
airport of Santiago de Cuba where he boarded a flight for the nation's capital
city Havana.
The Pope arrived at Jose Marti airport at midday local time (7 p.m. in Rome),
where he was welcomed by Raul Castro, president of Cuba, who had not been
scheduled to be present; by Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of San
Cristobal de La
Habana, by the local authorities and by hundreds of children holding white and
yellow flowers.
After having had lunch at the apostolic nunciature, Benedict XVI travelled by
car to the Palacio de la Revolucion where he paid a courtesy visit to
President Raul Castro. Since 1965 the building complex known as Palacio de la
Revolucion has been home to
the Council of State, the Office of the President, the Council of Ministers
and the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.
Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. described the
meeting between the two men as "long, cordial and serene". Their discussions,
he said, had focused on the condition of the Cuban people, including
humanitarian issues and the
Church’s expectations in her service of the common good. The Pope also
made a specific request for Good Friday to be re-established as a holiday.
At the end of their meeting the Pope and President Castro exchanged gifts.
Benedict XVI gave the Cuban leader a facsimile of Ptolemy's "Geography", and
the president gave him a bronze reproduction of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad
del Cobre". The Holy
Father then returned to the apostolic nunciature where he dined with Cuban
bishops.
___________________________________________________________
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va
Il servizio del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta
elettronica che ne hanno fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo
non si desidera continuare a riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina
dinizio:
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
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VISnews120328
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXII - N° 66DATE 28-03-2012
Summary: - THE POPE ENTRUSTS THE FUTURE OF
CUBA TO THE VIRGIN, "FOR THE
GREATER GOOD OF ALL CUBANS" - HOLY FATHER ASKS CUBAN PRESIDENT TO
RE-ESTABLISH GOOD FRIDAY AS A HOLIDAY
THE POPE ENTRUSTS THE FUTURE OF CUBA TO THE VIRGIN, "FOR THE GREATER GOOD
OF ALL CUBANS"
Vatican City, 27 March 2012 (VIS) - At 9.30 a.m. today, the Holy Father
travelled to the Shrine of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre", patron of
Cuba, where he was greeted by the archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, and by the
shrine's rector. The
Holy Father paused in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament then before the
image of the Virgin. He lit a candle and recited the prayer of the Virgin of
Charity, the Jubilee Year ritual by which pilgrims may obtain plenary
indulgence.
He then went to the main entrance of the building from where he greeted and
blessed the faithful gathered on the square and the steps leading up to the
shrine. "Receive the affection of the Pope", Benedict XVI told them, "and
carry it with you from
this place, so that everyone can experience consolation and strength in faith.
Let all those you meet know, whether near or far, that I have entrusted to the
Mother of God the future of your country, advancing along the ways of renewal
and hope, for the
greater good of all Cubans. I have also prayed to the Virgin for the needs of
those who suffer, of those who are deprived of freedom, those who are
separated from their loved ones or who are undergoing times of difficulty. I
have placed in her
Immaculate Heart young people, that they may be authentic friends of Christ
and that they may not succumb to things which bring sadness in their wake.
"Before Mary of Charity, I remember in a particular way Cubans who are the
descendants of those who arrived here from Africa, like the nearby people of
Haiti, where the consequences of the earthquake of two years ago are still
being suffered. And I
cannot forget the many country people and their families who wish to live the
Gospel deeply in their homes and who offer their homes as mission centres for
the celebration of Mass.
"Following the example of the Most Holy Virgin", the Pope concluded, "I
encourage all the sons and daughters of this dear country to continue to build
their lives on the firm rock which is Jesus Christ, to work for justice, to be
servants of charity
and to persevere in the midst of trials. May nothing or no one take from you
your inner joy which is so characteristic of the Cuban soul".
The history of Our Lady of Charity and her shrine, the most venerated
pilgrim site in Cuba, began in 1606 when three fishermen - two Indios and a
black slave - found a wooden image of the Mother of Christ inscribed with the
words "I am the Virgin of
Charity" floating on the waters of Nipe Bay. The statue was taken to the mine
of El Cobre where the first shrine was built in 1684. It was at the shrine
that, in the year 1801, the "Manifesto for the Liberation of the Slaves of the
El Cobre Mines" was
proclaimed. In 1916, Pope Benedict XV proclaimed the Virgin of Charity patron
of Cuba. The current shrine was inaugurated in 1927, and Pope Paul VI granted
it the title of minor basilica in 1977.
HOLY FATHER ASKS CUBAN PRESIDENT TO RE-ESTABLISH GOOD FRIDAY AS A
HOLIDAY
Vatican City, 27 March 2012 (VIS) - Having completed his visit to the
Shrine of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre", the Holy Father was taken
to the airport of Santiago de Cuba where he boarded a flight for the nation's
capital city Havana.
The Pope arrived at Jose Marti airport at midday local time (7 p.m. in
Rome), where he was welcomed by Raul Castro, president of Cuba, who had not
been scheduled to be present; by Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop
of San Cristobal de La
Habana, by the local authorities and by hundreds of children holding white and
yellow flowers.
After having had lunch at the apostolic nunciature, Benedict XVI travelled
by car to the Palacio de la Revolucion where he paid a courtesy visit to
President Raul Castro. Since 1965 the building complex known as Palacio de la
Revolucion has been home
to the Council of State, the Office of the President, the Council of Ministers
and the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.
Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. described the
meeting between the two men as "long, cordial and serene". Their discussions,
he said, had focused on the condition of the Cuban people, including
humanitarian issues and the
Church’s expectations in her service of the common good. The Pope also
made a specific request for Good Friday to be re-established as a holiday.
At the end of their meeting the Pope and President Castro exchanged gifts.
Benedict XVI gave the Cuban leader a facsimile of Ptolemy's "Geography", and
the president gave him a bronze reproduction of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad
del Cobre". The Holy
Father then returned to the apostolic nunciature where he dined with Cuban
bishops.
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va Il servizio del
VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta elettronica che ne
hanno
fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo non si desidera continuare a
riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina dinizio: http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vi
/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
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