Holy See and Cuba commemorate 90th anniversary of relations

Vatican City, Jun 27 (Prensa Latina) Relations between the Holy See and Cuba, based on mutual respect and collaboration, remain a solid growth 90 years after their establishment, which was commemorated in this city with a moving ceremony and a concert of sacred music.

June 27, 2025
10:17

Organized by the Cuban Embassy to the Holy See, the solemn event was held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome, on Thursday and was presided over by Cuban Ambassador to the Holy See, Rene Mujica, and attended by Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States.

The Cuban ambassador highlighted in his address the “substantive convergences between the Holy See and Cuba, around the centrality of principles and values such as cooperation, solidarity, fraternity, justice, and peace.”

He also emphasized the defense of “dignity for all peoples and all human beings, with particular attention to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, as well as the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources,” as beloved and remembered Pope Francis expressed when proclaiming the Jubilee of Hope in 2025.

Also attending were Cuban Ambassador to Italy, Mirta Granda, Rome City Councilor Mariano Angelucci, Holy See authorities, members of the accredited diplomatic corps, and other guests.

Mujica emphasized that Cuba and the Vatican “have maintained uninterrupted diplomatic relations based on international norms and have been characterized by active high-level dialogue.”

The diplomat recalled the official visits to the Vatican City by Cuban Presidents Fidel Castro in 1996 and Raul Castro in 2015, who were received by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, respectively, as well as that of President Miguel Diaz-Canel in 2023, who was received by Pope Francis.

He also referred to the apostolic trips to Cuba by Pope John Paul II in 1998, who was received by President Fidel Castro, as well as Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and Pope Francis in 2015, during Raul Castro’s presidency, and the latter pontiff’s visit to Havana in 2016 for his meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Monsignor Gallagher referred to his recent visit to Cuba in early June, in the framework of the anniversary of relations, where he participated in a mass at the Havana Cathedral and in a meeting with President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

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