Havana, Cuba, Sep 21, 2015 / 14:54 pm
In an intense Sunday, Pope Francis on Sept. 20 said a Mass attended by 200,000 people in Havana's Revolution Square, visited Fidel Castro, improvised two speeches, and was welcomed with affection by the Cuban people. Here are some details you might have missed while he was in "the Rome of the Caribbean."
First Communion
Five children from parishes in Havana received First Communion from Pope Francis at the Mass in Revolution Square: Melanie de la Caridad Lugo Rodríguez, Sadhiel Mollinedo Estrada, Gabriela Rodríguez Perdigón, Yelani González Pérez, and Jonathan Michel Torres Cruz. This is the first Pope Francis has administered this sacrament on an apostolic journey.
#elpapaencuba dio la Primera Comunión a cinco niños de La Habana. Una esperanza para la Iglesia en Cuba @aciprensa pic.twitter.com/7bn2gsz4St
- Eduardo Berdejo (@eberdejor) September 20, 2015
Communion on the tongue
During the Mass, many priests did everything possible to distribute Communion directly on the tongue to the thousands of faithful in attendance, even though it was permissible to receive in the hand. The pictures speak for themselves.