Pope Francis meets in Rome with three Cuban bishops.

Three Cuban bishops met this Monday with His Holiness Pope Francis in the city of Rome, Italy.

The Holy Father received Monsignor Emilio Aranguren Echeverría, bishop of Holguín and president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, along with Monsignor Arturo González Amador, bishop of Santa Clara, and Monsignor Juan de Dios Hernández Ruiz, bishop of Pinar del Río, as reported by the Communications Office of the Diocese of Holguín via Facebook.

The Pope recalled during the Monday meeting, which lasted over half an hour, that the ninth anniversary of his visit to Cuba is approaching, which took place from September 19 to 22, 2015, coinciding with the Year of Mercy.

Additionally, it was noted that the tenth anniversary will coincide with the Jubilee Year in 2025, according to the cited source.

As is customary, His Holiness requested that prayers be said for him and, through the prelates, he sent his greetings to the Cuban people.

Monsignor Aranguren shared his impressions of the meeting, commenting: "He doesn't seem to have returned two days ago from a journey so long in distance and time."

Pope Francis visited four countries in Asia and Oceania for 12 days: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, in what was the longest international Apostolic Journey of his Pontificate, and despite this, as he mentioned to the Cuban bishops, he is recovering quickly.

Father Ariel Suárez, deputy secretary and spokesperson for the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC), informed Diario de Cuba that the delegation spoke with the Pope about "the life of the Catholic Church in Cuba, its challenges, projects, and hopes, as well as the recent celebrations in honor of the Virgin of Charity."

According to the source, another topic addressed during the meeting was the concern over the decline in priestly and religious vocations, as well as the impact of increasing emigration on the Cuban population, which also affects priests and deacons.

The spokesperson for the COCC emphasized that, during the meeting, the closure of religious congregation houses in various dioceses was discussed, a problem that directly affects the presence and work of the Church in different regions of the country.

The deteriorated condition of many vehicles belonging to priests and pastoral agents was also addressed, which, coupled with the difficulties in obtaining fuel, has considerably limited pastoral activities, especially in the more remote areas of Cuba.

In August, Mons. Antoine Camilleri, the new representative of Pope Francis in Cuba, was received by the bishops of the island during a ceremony.

The new Apostolic Nuncio, originally from the island of Malta, was in Cuba in 2005 and 2006 as a member of the Vatican diplomatic mission in Havana, and returned to the Caribbean country after 18 years, reported ACI Prensa.