Regarding the liturgical celebration, which took place on the evening of May 15 at the Roman Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the diplomat told Prensa Latina that they “considered it an act of solidarity with the Cuban people in the difficult humanitarian conditions they face,” following an intensification of the aggressive policies of the United States.
Rodriguez noted that the Holy Mass for Peace and Development in Cuba, officiated by Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, denounced the current context of threat against the island’s territorial integrity, given the aggressive nature of US imperialism.
“The Vatican has expressed its concern about the situation in Cuba and maintains a tradition of condemning the genocidal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against the island, aggravated after President Donald Trump signed the executive orders of January 29 and May 1 of this year,” he emphasized.
In his homily, Cardinal Czerny highlighted the Vatican’s position in favor of “a disarmed and disarming peace,” one that enables development. “That is why this Mass was named for peace and development in Cuba, which has always been the objective of our social project,” he noted.
The Mass also remembered Pope Leo XIV’s call for “all international controversies and conflicts to be resolved peacefully, through negotiation and diplomacy, and not through the use of force, and that peace must be the result of dialogue, not war,” he asserted.
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