Pope Francis, 78, celebrated Sunday Mass in Havana, preaching before a huge throng of worshippers who packed Havana's historic Revolutionary Square. Those four had attempted to deliver a letter to the pope, one of whom got close enough to make contact with Francis in his popemobile, UNPACU leader Jose Daniel Ferrer said. The dissident Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation estimated 50 dissidents were detained and prevented from attending papal events, with most released within a few hours.īut the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), the country’s largest dissident group, said four of its activists remained in jail as of late Sunday. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said that some dissidents were invited to events to receive a greeting from the pope but that he didn't know why the greeting didn't take place.Īsked if the Holy See would lodge an official protest, Lombardi demurred, saying it was a "passing greeting," not an official meeting. The fourth pope to visit the United States, his apostolic journey will take place September 22-27, 2015 and will include visits to Washington, D.C. Later Monday, Francis will head to Cuba's second-largest city, Santiago, where he will visit the shrine of the Virgin of Charity, Cuba's patron saint, in the nearby town of Cobre.Ī Cuban dissident is prevented by security personnel from approaching the popemobile as Pope Francis arrives at Revolution Square in Havana, Sept. That quest included a groundbreaking visit in 1998 by the then-pontiff, John Paul II. Later, the pope will visit La Loma de la Cruz, a cross and lookout point above Holguin, Cuba's third-largest city. Francis visited Cuba in 2015, as part of the Vaticans drive to improve international relations with the communist-led Caribbean nation. "He invites us slowly to overcome our preconceptions and our reluctance to think that others, much less ourselves, can change," he said. The pope celebrated Mass for tens of thousands gathered in Holguin's Revolution Plaza, urging Cubans to heed Jesus Christ's invitation to overcome resistance to change.ĭuring his homily, Pope Francis said Christ challenges the faithful daily to believe in the possibility of personal transformation. Pope Francis pushes through with scheduled visit to Leyte despite inclement weather (TACLOBAN, Leyte) Pope Francis pushed through with his scheduled trip to this Visayan province, Saturday, braving strong winds and continuous rains in fulfillment of his mission to reach out to the poverty-stricken communities still reeling from the effects of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. 25, the pope will greet thousands of guests in a historic procession through Central Park along the West. Pope Francis met with the brothers in Havana at the start of his Cuban trip. Septem/ 12:11 PM / CBS New York NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - On Friday, Sept. It is also the home region of communist leaders Fidel and Raul Castro who have ruled Cuba since 1959. Holguin, Cuba's third-largest city, has been a cradle of the Catholic faith on the island and is known for a cross that has overlooked the town for centuries. Pope Francis leads a mass for Catholic faithful in the city of Holguin, Cuba, Sept.
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