(January 07.01.2012) The upcoming Papal trip will be “a great blessing for the country,”
Auxiliary Bishop Juan de Dios Hernandez of Havana told CNA on Thursday. The pontiff's
March 26-28 visit comes as the Church in Cuba celebrates the 400th anniversary of
the discovery of the statue of Our Lady of Charity in waters off the coast of Cuba.
Pope Benedict XV declared her the patroness of Cuba in 1916.Bishop Hernandez said
the papal visit taking place in the context of the celebration “confirms charity
as a virtue that should unite the entire nation of Cuba, and not only Christians.”He
said the Church in Cuba is preparing a special catechetical program to help introduce
the Pope to the Cuban people, “as not everyone is aware of his pastoral work as the
representative of the Church.” Bishop Hernandez said each diocese will likely organize
cultural and folkloric events including dance and art exhibits to celebrate the Holy
Father’s visit. He also noted that the Church in Cuba has declared a Jubilee Year
to mark the 400th anniversary of the devotion to Our Lady of Charity and that throughout
the year, the faithful would have the opportunity each month to participate in “great
moments of encounter with God through Our Lady.” Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in
the Cuban city of Santiago on March 26. He will celebrate an outdoor Mass there and
spend the night in the town of El Cobre. On March 27 he will visit the Shrine of Our
Lady of Charity and then depart to Havana. That afternoon he will meet with President
Raul Castro and then with the bishops of Cuba. On March 28 he will conclude the visit
with an outdoor Mass in Havana’s Revolution Square.Better known as La Virgen de la
Caridad del Cobre, the statue of Our Lady of Charity was found in 1612 floating in
stormy waters in El Cobre, by three laborers who considered it an answer to their
prayers for safety. The original statue remains in El Cobre, while a replica was smuggled
out of Cuba and brought to Miami in 1961, just in time for her Sept. 8 feast day.