Pope Benedict XVI presided in
Spanish, spoken clearly and in a strong voice, from a specially built shaded
platform in front of the monument to Jose Marti. To his right was an orchestra and very large
chorus that provided music unlike what he hears in Rome, and more beautiful.
Directly ahead of the pope were
the plaza’s iconic images of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos; if he turned to
his right he saw a massive image of the Virgin of Charity hung on the façade of
the national library, and to his left the national theater bore a banner
reading “Charity Unites Us.”
The crowd at mass was large but
not overwhelming, the size impossible to tell from my ant’s-eye view. It appeared to be a mix of the faithful, the curious,
and some who attended briefly then departed.
Some were from abroad. Crowds were calm, access
was easy despite some closed streets, and traffic restrictions dissolved soon after the
pontiff’s departure.
The religious message in the
scripture readings and the homily had to do with truth, revealed by faith and
reason, as the only true foundation of liberty.
Benedict turned to church-state
relations in his homily. He expressed
happiness at advances made in recent years, including in the church’s public
expressions of religious faith, and he called for the church and authorities to
continue on this path and to build on what has been achieved, “for the good of
all.” The church is “seeking no
privilege” in its effort to gain greater space, he said, and seeks only “to
serve its founder.”
Cuban television reported that a
brief visit took place between the pope and Fidel Castro today.
1 comment:
Precise, concise and now the question becomes what does it all mean and
will there be some conciliatory accommodations given by the powers
in Cuba. The release of Mr. Gross would be a first step. Fidel Castro and the Pope was captured on video
and photo. Some amazing eye to eye
that will some day be as captivating
as some of the earlier Fidel photo's.
Just my opinion.
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