Havana, Cuba, Nov 14, 2011 / 12:25 pm
Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana expressed gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI for considering a trip to the country in the spring of 2012.
Cardinal Ortega told reporters on Nov. 11 that the Pope “has given priority to Cuba,” adding “the fact that he chose us has great significance.”
He recalled Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba in 1998 and said it had a profound impact “on our history as a Church and also on our nation. There is something in the way we see things that made it possible for that trip to leave a mark on us.”
He said the reasons for the trip are related to the improving relations with the Communist government, which paved the way in 2010 for the first massive national pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity since Fidel Castro took power in 1959.