Pilgrimage to see pope in Cuba considered

Posted on Wednesday, 11.30.11

Pilgrimage to see pope in Cuba considered
By Daniel Shoer Roth
dshoer@ElNeuvoHerald.com

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.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/30/2524631/pilgrimage-to-see-pope-in-cuba.html