Cuba is in the Pope's heart, says Vatican official

Havana, June 5^th. - Pope Leo XIV extended his warmest greetings to the people of Cuba, who have a place in his heart, Vatican Secretary of State Paul Richard Gallagher said today at a religious ceremony here.

Cuba has a special place in the Holy Father's heart, said the high-ranking Catholic official at the Thanksgiving Mass marking the beginning of His Holiness's pontificate, which was attended by Vice President Salvador Valdés and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.

According to the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Holy See, the institution has felt the presence of the people of the Caribbean island throughout the nine decades of bilateral relations.

Gallagher noted that the stay here of the last three pontiffs also reveals the close ties maintained with the authorities, bishops, and faithful of this nation, which, for the common good of all Cubans, will be able to count on the Holy See, he said.

In this context, he urged support for the Supreme Pontiff's call to live in communion, within a united Church in a reconciled world and under the principles of peace, justice, and truth, he asserted.

Toward the end of the Mass, the Vatican Secretary of State greeted the island's vice president and the other authorities present, including the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso.

As part of their agenda, this Wednesday Bruno Rodríguez and Paul Richard Gallagher unveiled a commemorative postage stamp for the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations and held official talks.

The stamp features the flags of Cuba and the Holy See, as well as images of the Most Holy and Metropolitan Cathedral of Havana and St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

During the ceremony, held in the El Laguito protocol room, Deputy Foreign Minister Elio Rodríguez highlighted the constructive and respectful dialogue between the parties over nine decades.

2025 also marks the tenth anniversary of the visit to the Vatican by Cuban Revolutionary leader Raúl Castro in May 2015, and of Pope Francis' apostolic trip to Cuba in September of that year, the deputy minister recalled.

He also recalled that Cuba had the honor of receiving visits from Pope John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012, and of hosting the historic meeting between Pope Francis and His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, in 2016. This event, he described as of great significance for interreligious dialogue. (Text and photo: PL)