Pilgrimage to see pope in Cuba considered
November 30, 2011
Daniel Shoer Roth, Miami Herald
The Archdiocese of Miami is considering organizing a pilgrimage to Cuba that would allow members of South Florida’s Cuban-American community to participate in the visit of Pope Benedict XVI scheduled for next spring.
“As the Cuban bishops have said, Cubans continue to be one single people wherever they may be,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski said. “If the Holy Father is going to be welcomed in Cuba, the Cuban people on this side of the Florida Straits will be participating in one way or another.”
The Vatican announced three weeks ago that the pope planned to visit the island to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the image of the Lady of Charity of El Cobre in the waters of Nipe Bay. The Vatican is expected to confirm the date of the trip, which will include Mexico, on Dec. 12, the Day of the Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexicans.
The archdiocese will not decide on staging a pilgrimage until the pope’s visit is confirmed, said Wenski, who has promoted links between Florida’s Catholic Church and its Cuban counterpart.
