On his official Twitter account, the president wrote, ‘Cuba bids farewell with sorrow to the very reverend Pablo Oden Marichal, respected and loved for his courageous ecumenism and his faith in human improvement.’

On that platform, Diaz-Canel recognized the trajectory of the religious leader and parliamentarian, as well as distinguished him ‘among the best sons of the Homeland’.

The ecumenical leader died on Monday at the age of 81.

Marichal held different responsibilities in religious organizations such as the Student Christian Movement, the Caribbean Christian Conference and the Council of Churches of Cuba.

He taught several generations, as a professor at the Evangelical Seminary of Matanzas,and was also a promoter of dialogue among all religions on the basis of respect for diversity.

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