Three Cuban cities on Pope Francis’s fall tour

Three Cuban cities on Pope Francis's fall tour
By Nick Miroff June 30 at 12:24 PM

A schedule of Pope Francis's eight-day trip to Cuba and the United
States this fall shows he will meet with Raul Castro and celebrate Mass
in three different cities on the island between Sept. 19 and 22.

Francis will make his first speech of the trip upon arriving in Havana
from Rome on the evening of Sept. 19. He'll celebrate Sunday Mass in
Havana's Plaza of the Revolution the following morning, then meet with
Cuban President Raul Castro in the afternoon. Castro has said he plans
to accompany Francis throughout the pope's stay.

The addition of a Cuba stop before his previously scheduled visit to the
United States will make Francis's role in brokering a diplomatic thaw
between the two foes a central theme of the trip. The Vatican hosted
secret meetings between U.S. and Cuban officials that led to the
announcement last December that the two countries would restore
relations severed by Washington in 1961.

"The Holy Father wants to show us how important this moment is for him,"
Cuba's bishops said in a statement Tuesday. "Thanks in part to his
mediation, our country has a new breath of hope as a result of the new
possibilities created by the dialogue taking place between the United
States and Cuba."

Francis, an Argentine, is a tremendously popular figure in Cuba, even
though recent surveys indicate as many as half of the island's residents
do not consider themselves religious. His trip follows a visit by Pope
Benedict XVI in 2012 and the groundbreaking trip by Pope John Paul II in
1998 that transformed relations between the communist authorities and
the church. All three men have called for the United States to lift Cold
War-era trade sanctions against the island.

Castro and Francis spoke privately at the Vatican in early May.
Afterward, the Jesuit-educated Castro, 84, told reporters that he was so
impressed he was considering a return to the church, insisting, "I'm
serious," when laughter broke out.

Francis is expected to urge Castro to allow the church to reopen
Catholic schools in Cuba, the only country in Latin America that doesn't
allow them.

The pope will fly Sept. 21 to Cuba's fourth-largest city, Holguin, where
he will bless the city and celebrate public Mass. He'll then continue on
to Cuba's most sacred shrine, the Our Lady of Charity at El Cobre, a
basilica set against the backdrop of soaring mountains outside Santiago
de Cuba.

The pope will meet with Cuban families in Santiago the following morning
and celebrate Mass in the city's central plaza before departing for the
United States on Sept. 22. Francis will almost certainly be the first
person in a long time to make a direct flight from Santiago de Cuba to
Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.

Church authorities in Cuba say they expect Pope Francis to deviate
somewhat from his schedule on the island, as he's known for making
unscheduled stops to speak with people on the street.

As with previous papal visits to the island, Francis's trip is expected
to be broadcast live on Cuban state television.

Schedule of Pope Francis's Cuba trip

Sept. 19

10:15 a.m. Departure from Rome's Fiumicino airport to Havana.
4:05 p.m. Arrival ceremony at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport.

Sept. 20

9 a.m. Mass in Havana's Revolution Square.
4 p.m. Visit with Cuba's President Raul Castro in Havana's Palace of the
Revolution.
5:15 p.m. Celebration of vespers with priests, religious and seminarians
in Havana's cathedral.
6:30 p.m. Greeting to young people at the Father Felix Varela cultural
center in Havana.

Sept. 21

8 a.m. Departure by air to Holguin, Cuba.
9:20 a.m. Arrival at Holguin's Frank Pais International Airport.
10:30 a.m. Mass in Holguin's Revolution Square.
3:45 p.m. Blessing of the city of Holguin from Cross Hill (Loma de la Cruz).
4:40 p.m. Departure by air for Santiago de Cuba.
5:30 p.m. Arrival at Santiago de Cuba's Antonio Maceo International Airport.
7 p.m. Meeting with bishops at the seminary of St. Basil the Great in El
Cobre.
7:45 p.m. Visit to Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.

Sept. 22

8 a.m. Mass in the Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity
of El Cobre.
11 a.m. Meeting with families in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption
in Santiago de Cuba. Blessing of the city.
12:15 p.m. Farewell ceremony at Santiago de Cuba's International Airport.
12:30 p.m. Departure for Washington.
4 p.m. Arrival at Joint Base Andrews.

Source: Three Cuban cities on Pope Francis's fall tour - The Washington
Post -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/06/30/three-cuban-cities-on-pope-franciss-fall-tour/