Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Holy Father hopes for growth of religious freedom in Cuba

Vatican City, Dec 10, 2009 / 11:17 am (CNA).- The newest ambassador to the Holy See, Cuba's Eduardo Delgado Bermudez, renewed nearly 75 years of continuous relations with the Vatican today when he delivered his credentials to Pope Benedict XVI in a private audience. The Pontiff expressed to the ambassador his hopes for the future of the Cuban people and for seeing continued “concrete signs” of the acceptance of the exercise of religious freedom.

In his address, Pope Benedict highlighted the importance for governments around the world not to forget about the basic needs of the people, despite the current economic crisis.

"The Catholic Church in Cuba, that in these moments, and as always, feels close to the people, wants to contribute with its modest and effective aid," noted Benedict XVI.

Explaining the importance of this mission, the Pontiff quoted from his encycical Caritas in Veritate, "the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is man, the human person in his or her integrity."
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See also:

From Catholic World News, "Pope urges Cuba to expand religious freedom"

From AP via Yahoo! News, "Pope sees signs of religious freedom in Cuba"

From Zenit, "Cuba Urged to Grant More Religious Freedom"

posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 4:32 PM