Cubans rejoice at beatification of John Paul II

(April 04, 2011) The apostolic nuncio in Cuba said Blessed John Paul II was "a friend of Cuba," who followed the situation of the island with careful interest and affection for the people. Archbishop Giovanni Becciu said this on Sunday, when he presided over a Mass in the Cathedral at Havana in honor of the newly beatified Pope. The Polish Pope is the only Pontiff to visit the Caribbean island, and his 1998 four-day trip marked a milestone both for the Church and the politics of the region. Government officials participated at Sunday's Mass to honor Blessed John Paul and the state television channel broadcast a Vatican recording of the ceremony in Rome. In his homily Archbishop Becciu said that Bl. John Paul II is remembered for exhorting Cuba to "open itself to the world and calling the world to open itself to Cuba. Without a doubt, we can say that his visit was a transcendent event in the history of this nation and of the Church," he affirmed.