The pope in Cuba

By Father Ruskin Piedra |

Sometime in July I received an email from the pastor of the zone in Cuba where we have a mission each year. (They call the territory a zone instead of a parish since most pastors have two or three parishes, each in different towns.) The pastor invited me to take part in the celebrations connected with the pope’s visit and to the tête-à-tête with the pope after the Mass in the very spacious Plaza de La Revolución in Havana.

With only 75 priests on the island, we were fortunate to have this intimate meeting with His Holiness. The pastor was good enough to reserve a seat for me on the bus that was going to Havana, claiming “Eres de los nuestros”: “You’re one of us.” I didn’t argue.

I arrived in Varadero Airport on Monday, September 14, hoping to do a mini-mission in San José, Marti, where I would be staying. Mistake. The pastor was being transferred from his zone (three towns) to Matanzas, and two Mexican missionaries were coming in his place.

As a result, Padre Rolando found himself running to get things ready since the missionaries would arrive right after the pope’s visit. I was left to take care of the zone and could only visit the sick on foot, anoint as many as possible, get a ride to the next town, and leave the “mission preaching” to the daily Mass. I rarely had the same congregation since Mass was celebrated in different towns. Be that as it may, it was the minniest mission ever.

On the night of September 18 we left by car for Matanzas, the diocesan seat. Around 2 a.m. Sunday the caravan of buses started out. We were No. 2. As the caravan passed a zone, the buses from that zone would fall in line until we reached Havana a little after 5 a.m. I’m told there were more than 100 buses, all in procession as it were. Truly a moving sight.

Once we arrived the bus driver asked an official where we could park near the Plaza de la Revolución since all of us were concelebrants with an official name tag, or “carnet.” The official apologized and said that parking in the plaza was no longer available since the plaza was filled to overflowing and had to shut down for parking. And it was only 5 a.m.

We started to walk. We went through a metal detector and on to the plaza. Somehow with such a crowd, I lost my companions for a few minutes. When I arrived at the plaza, the first thing I noticed was the beautifully arranged and multicolored canopy with the altar in the middle.

Just a few yards from the altar, I saw in the beginning daylight about 12 concelebrants sitting in the first row. I approached and showed my concelebrant carnet to the monsignor at the gate. He let me in, and instead of going to the end of the first row, I chose to sit in the second row, first seat. There I would be a few yards from the altar.

I made sure to save a seat for Padre Rolando, who showed up soon and was so grateful, for by that time concelebrants had filled several rows.

We were seated in row two, right next to the main aisle for the entrance procession. Soon the popemobile came up on our right.

Halfway up the pope stopped, got out, and embraced a crippled young man. A most touching scene for at least two reasons: 1. The government gladly leaves those deemed useless to the Revolution to the care of the Church or beneficent societies. 2. The presence of the Church and its works of charity are rarely acknowledged by a communist-controlled press, but everyone knows the government gladly finances such undertakings, knowing they are in good hands.

One such nursing-home facility, El Asilo Santovenia in Havana, run by the Sisters of Charity, is an ongoing miracle. When I visited some years ago I could not believe, given hundreds of patients, how the sisters kept it spotless, with pleasant odors, and were constantly running up and down, making sure each patient was well attended.

Places like this are protected and helped in every way by the government as long as the sisters kept those “useless to the Revolution” hidden from sight and off their hands.

As the popemobile passed us, His Holiness was just a few feet away, smiling and waving at everyone. When the popemobile turned to the right, the driver stopped to allow the pope to shake hands with President Raul Castro and other dignitaries seated across from us in the first row.

No sooner had he passed to go to a place where he would dress for the Mass than President Raul Castro and the First Lady of Panama, Lorena Castillo, came over to us and shook our hands. I must say, they were very gracious to everyone, whether plain folk or dignitaries.

Just before Mass began the pope left his place behind the altar and went to his left on the platform to embrace the throng of Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, and anyone else who had been invited to sit in the sanctuary. A moving scene indeed.

By the time the Mass began, you could not count the cardinals, bishops, clergy, and religious plus representatives of religious denominations of various faiths who had come from the Caribbean and from North, Central, and South America. We knew then and there that the intimate tête-à-tête that had been planned for us (75 priests and religious) after the Mass would probably not take place. I was not mistaken. No one had counted on so many visitors.

But it surely added to the festivities, and I’m certain no one was disappointed. What was disappointing was the number of the faithful who were deprived of the Eucharist; they simply ran out of hosts.

After the Mass we were told to stay close, as the papal plans would be announced once they had been decided. Instead of an intimate tête-à-tête, we ended up in the Cathedral of Havana for a prayer service with the pope. Needless to say it was standing room only, but we had beautiful music and a lovely homily from the pope, urging all priests and religious to remain faithful servants, that better days awaited us.

We heard later that the Holy Father had foregone a luncheon with some wealthy donors in favor of visiting a health center that cared for children with special needs, both physical and mental. The Holy Father also visited Fidel Castro and family as well as his own religious Jesuit family in Havana.

Before leaving Havana, the pope met with the youth in Havana, urging them to be apostles to other youth and to hold fast to the faith. At the end, he asked the youth to pray for him, then added, to everyone’s delight, “. . . if you believe and if you do not believe, wish me a good trip anyway.”

On the return trip I stayed with my first cousins in Matanzas, the only ones left of the clan. The next day a cousin drove me to the airport, where she spoke to an attendant at the boarding gate and a friend of hers. Before I knew it, I was ushered in, the first one to board, and given a first class seat. Never had it so good.

I had fond memories of a pope who loves the poor and needy, the sick, and those deemed of no use to society, of whatever faith, race, color, or creed.

It is no wonder this man is so admired and loved. He is a living image of Christ the Good Shepherd on earth.