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The father José Joaquín Espino, rector of the Ermita de la Caridad del Cobre in Miami, traveled to Cuba this weekend to personally oversee the delivery of 43 tons of humanitarian aid intended for families affected by the severe economic crisis and the devastation of the recent hurricane that struck the island.
The mission was organized by the Archdiocese of Miami in coordination with several parishes in South Florida, and it is part of a series of shipments aimed at alleviating the shortage of food, medicine, and basic supplies faced by the Cuban population under the communist regime, reported the channel Telemundo 51.
The airport was empty; those who greeted us were grateful for the flight. We passed through immigration, and upon exiting, the Cáritas team was already waiting for us. Afterwards, we accompanied them to the cargo area and watched as the aid was loaded onto the trucks headed for the diocese.”, reported Father Espino upon his return to Miami.
According to the parish priest, this operation is part of a humanitarian chain that began last week with a flight to Santiago de Cuba, followed by another to Holguín, where Cáritas Cuba took charge of distributing supplies to the most affected communities.
In the coming weeks, a third shipment is expected to be sent to the Archbishopric of Bayamo-Manzanillo.
“Our task is to ensure that the aid reaches its intended destination and to trust the people who will distribute it. Cáritas has experience,” Espino stated, who returned to Miami on the same flight after personally verifying the delivery of the cargo.
The priest also clarified that this operation is not related to the three million dollars recently announced by the U.S. government for humanitarian assistance in Cuba, which is being channeled through the organization Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
In an interview with Telemundo 51, Mike Hammer, head of the U.S. Embassy mission in Havana, confirmed that the U.S. government is working alongside the Catholic Church on the island to distribute aid in the eastern provinces.
“We have been able to confirm with the Catholic Church that our humanitarian aid can be distributed in the east through Caritas,” said Hammer.
Father Espino confirmed that, thanks to this collaboration, tents have arrived in Santiago de Cuba for four dioceses, as part of the first shipment managed by CRS.
Those interested in helping the victims in Cuba can make donations at the Convent of the Daughters of Charity, located in the northwest of Miami-Dade.
This humanitarian shipment takes place amid a deep crisis on the island, where the population faces constant blackouts, shortages of food and medicine, and a collapse of the healthcare system.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC) recently confirmed that the humanitarian aid offered by the United States to those affected by Hurricane Melissa will be channeled through the Catholic Church, a detail that implies the resources will not go through the structures of the Cuban regime.
In an official statement released on Sunday, the bishops reported that the U.S. Administration offered three million dollars in humanitarian assistance, which will be sent "through Catholic Church institutions in that country" to help "directly those affected by Hurricane Melissa."
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