Havana, Cuba - Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana told Vatican Radio this week there are high expectations in Cuba for Pope Benedict’s upcoming visit to the island March 26-28.
“There is so much expectation for this event. For us it is surprising that the Pope chose our country together with Mexico to come to Latin America,” Cardinal Ortega said.
He noted that Benedict XVI had been invited to come “some time ago, ever since Cardinal Bertone’s visit to Cuba,” which coincided with the designation of Raul Castro as the country’s new president.
“We were filled with hope and the Pope himself, when I spoke to him about this invitation, said he carried the desire to be in Cuba in his heart,” the cardinal added.
He then recalled Pope John Paul II’s 1998 papal visit to Cuba, which he said “left a mark on our Cuban nation.”
Benedict XVI will arrive in Santiago, Cuba, on March 26 after visiting Mexico from March 23-26.
During his stay, he will make a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in El Cobre and meet with President Raul Castro as well as Cuban bishops.
He will also celebrate two outdoor Masses, one at the Antonio Macedo Revolution Square and the other at Revolution Square in Havana.
(Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Americas.php?id=4603#ixzz1iyvDKF1Z)
“There is so much expectation for this event. For us it is surprising that the Pope chose our country together with Mexico to come to Latin America,” Cardinal Ortega said.
He noted that Benedict XVI had been invited to come “some time ago, ever since Cardinal Bertone’s visit to Cuba,” which coincided with the designation of Raul Castro as the country’s new president.
“We were filled with hope and the Pope himself, when I spoke to him about this invitation, said he carried the desire to be in Cuba in his heart,” the cardinal added.
He then recalled Pope John Paul II’s 1998 papal visit to Cuba, which he said “left a mark on our Cuban nation.”
Benedict XVI will arrive in Santiago, Cuba, on March 26 after visiting Mexico from March 23-26.
During his stay, he will make a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in El Cobre and meet with President Raul Castro as well as Cuban bishops.
He will also celebrate two outdoor Masses, one at the Antonio Macedo Revolution Square and the other at Revolution Square in Havana.
(Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Americas.php?id=4603#ixzz1iyvDKF1Z)