Havana, Cuba, Apr 21, 2005 / 22:00 pm
“The Catholics of Cuba are very happy with this election,” said Bishop Jose Felix Perez, Adjunct Secretary of the Bishops Conference of Cuba.
The bishop said that with this election, the cardinals have ratified “the paths of strength and compassion” that then-Cardinal Ratzinger “had already laid out.” He added that as soon as he returns from Rome, Cardinal Jaime Orgega of Havana will celebrate a Mass in honor of Benedict XVI.
“He is a man who has shown much wisdom, compassion and humanity, something today’s world needs greatly,” Bishop Perez told the AFP news agency.
On Tuesday, church bells rang out across Cuba upon the election of Benedict XVI, and hundreds gathered at the Cathedral square in old Havana.