Rome, Italy, Jul 3, 2010 / 06:03 am
Recently created metropolitan archbishops from around the world descended on Rome for the conferral of the pallium on June 29 at St. Peter's Basilica. Among them was Archbishop Thomas Wenski, whom CNA was able to ask about the ceremony, his archdiocese and the reconciliation process with Cuba.
On receiving the pallium, a band of wool placed on the the archbishops' shoulders to symbolize their role as shepherds and union with the Pope, Archbishop Wenski said that, for him, it was not only personally "moving," but "it was also a very significant moment in the life of the archdiocese of Miami.” The bestowal of the pallium, he explained, represents “the transition to a new archbishop and a new chapter in our ecclesial history."
Speaking about his new archdiocese, Archbishop Wenski said it is one of great diversity, uniting people from a variety of continents into a "mosaic of diversity."
Asked specifically about the Cuban-American contingent and the part they play in the reconciliation process with the island of Cuba, he said that the Cuban people, "are divided by the Florida straights, but they are also divided by ideology and history of some political divisions that run very deep." Nevertheless, they are a part of the reconciliation process with the island.