
At the feet of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Monsignor Dionisio García Ibáñez, pleaded during this Sunday’s Eucharist for those in the country who are suffering the consequences of emigration.
“To the workers who strive to provide their loved ones with a decent home; to those who grieve the emigration of spouses, children, grandchildren, and friends,” García expressed during a prayer of supplication, according to a post by the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba on Facebook.
In the prayer, the bishop also included "the mothers who strive to feed their children; so many who tirelessly seek medicine for their sick; the families of the prisoners who dream of seeing them return home, someday, healthy," alluding to the pressing issues of Cuban reality.
He referred to the economic crisis and its effects on families, such as shortages of food and medicine. He also addressed the situation of political prisoners in the regime's jails, where their families, sometimes desperate for justice, long to see them return healthy and with minimal consequences.
García also highlighted the individuals who "suffer from violence and theft, as well as those who face numerous material and spiritual shortages." This phenomenon is increasingly evident in today’s society, as crime is often linked to the rising issues stemming from the economic crisis.
He also stated that "love" today is found in "the children who lovingly care for the elderly at home; in those who support family and friends from afar; in the neighbors who share both sorrows and joys; in the many who selflessly serve their fellow human beings," expressing a faith in the Cuban people despite the hardships they endure.
Finally, the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, in his prayer of supplication, expressed that the people possess "potentials," and on this matter, he invited everyone to learn to live in harmony, “with one heart and one soul, despite our different ways of thinking, and together, to find solutions that lead us to be born in peace, to work in peace, to eat in peace, to die in peace.”
In March, during the Palm Sunday Eucharist, García prayed for electricity, food, and freedom to the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, something he stated was merely echoing the requests that pilgrims make to the Patroness of Cuba.
"We want to live with greater ease; we want to try to live a normal life where everyone can pursue their own plans and life projects, where life is not a constant struggle and endless toil," said García Ibáñez at the feet of the Virgin.
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