On the feast of the apostle Saint Matthew, Pope Francis arrived in the provincial capital of Holguin in eastern Cuba for the second public mass of his pastoral visit to Cuba. The city was buzzing with excitement for days prior to the visit, with last minute preparations and decorations throughout the city, as well as flowers and flags along the route the pontiff would take from the airport into town, but the biggest excitement was among the citizens of Holguin and the surrounding countryside. People of all faiths and none were thrilled to be receiving the Pope’s blessing for their families and their lives and their country.
Pope Francis is hugely popular here in Cuba, because of his gentle and direct manner in expressing the Catholic faith and especially because, as a fellow Latin American, he is perceived as someone who can truly relate to the people of this isolated island.
He has already demonstrated this through his actions in December in facilitating the prisoner exchange with the US and opening dialogue between the governments of the two countries still locked in Cold War hostilities. The “Cuban Five” former prisoners who owe their freedom to the Pope’s intercessions attended all of his masses in Cuba, as did Cuban president Raul Castro.
The large grassy plaza of Revolution Square in Holguin was filled to almost total capacity and the crowds of Cubans – about one third of whom were Catholics, identifiable by the lapel badges they were wearing allowing access to communion – listened to the Pope’s sermon and indeed all of the Mass with rapt and respectful silence.
Despite the high temperatures and intense humidity, the choir maintained an atmosphere of pure joy throughout the mass with their traditional Cuban liturgical songs. However, the children’s choir truly captured the sentiments of those present with their hymn of welcome: “Papa Francisco/llenas la tierra de paz y de gracia/Papa Francisco/llenas la tierra de fe y esperanza” (Pope Francis, you fill the earth with peace and grace, Pope Francis, you fill the earth with faith and hope).
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