The President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, attended the Thanksgiving Mass. For the Pontificate of Pope Francis at the Holy Cathedral of Havana.
Where the faithful gathered to pay tribute to the Supreme Pontiff. Upon entering the Cathedral, the Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba, Antoine Camilleri, greeted the President, expressing gratitude for his presence at the religious ceremony. Officials from the Cuban Communist Party, the Cuban State, and the Cuban Government were also present.
The Mass in Honor of the Pope is a demonstration of the Cuban Church’s communion with the sentiments of global Catholicism, following the Pope’s death on April 21. The celebration recalled Francis’ affection and closeness to Cuba and its people.
Facts about Francis and his death
Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21, 2025, at 7:35 a.m. CEST (UTC+02:00), at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta, Vatican City. He died at the age of 88, and the cause was a stroke.
Francis had served as pope of the Catholic Church since his election on March 13, 2013. He was the second pope to die in office in the 21st century, after John Paul II in 2005, and his death created the first vacancy since Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013.
One day before his death, on Easter Sunday, he made his last public appearance, imparting the Urbi et Orbi blessing after Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square. He appeared noticeably weakened and had difficulty speaking due to the bilateral pneumonia he had suffered since February 14, which kept him hospitalized for 38 days at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome.
The pontiff’s death was officially confirmed that same morning by Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell on Vatican Television in a video statement. Accompanied by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, he announced the death in a brief televised statement from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.
With information from news agencies/Cubadebate.cu
Translated by Aliani Rojas Fernández
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