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The Holguin priest José Necuze Necuze passed away on the morning of Friday, December 5th, at the age of 92, as reported by the Bishop of Holguín, Monsignor Emilio Aranguren, in a note sent to the clergy and the faithful of the diocese.
Meanwhile, the activist and journalist Annarela Grimal, cousin of the parish priest, attributed the death to “the consequences” of the chikungunya virus, in a social media message where she expressed sadness that the disease “has weakened the country due to the lack of so many things.”
According to the communication from the Diocese, it was scheduled to transfer the body to the S.I. Cathedral of San Isidoro for the funeral mass at 3:00 p.m., and afterward, to take the coffin to the cemetery in the city of Holguín.
The text from the Bishopric, however, did not specify the cause of death.
Necuze, born in Holguín, was trained as a priest in Spain and returned to Cuba already ordained to carry out his ministry in the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba, before continuing his pastoral service in the east of the country.
After the establishment of the Diocese of Holguín in 1979, he served as parish priest in several communities, including the Cathedral Church and San José (Holguín), San Jerónimo (Las Tunas), San Fulgencio (Gibara), and Jesús del Monte (Floro Pérez), according to the ecclesiastical statement.
The statement released by the Diocese emphasized that, despite his advanced age, the priest “continued to accompany several communities in Holguín”, and concluded with a religious farewell acknowledging that he had “maintained the faith” and fulfilled his pastoral responsibilities.
"Despite his advanced age, Father Necuze continued to accompany various communities in Holguín and now, after having 'kept the faith, fought the good fight, and finished the race, the crown of righteousness from his Lord, the just judge, is reserved for him,' he wrote."
In his post, Grimal added a personal testimony about the priest’s impact on his family, recalling that he baptized “everyone,” including his children, and that he maintained a “noble and good” demeanor, along with a sense of principles that —as he wrote— led him to prioritize “humanity above all.”
In that message, he emphasized that he found it "very unfair" for death to be linked to a virus like chikungunya, considering the material shortages that, in his view, exacerbate the impact of diseases on the island.
The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) recently reported on 33 deaths from mosquito-borne diseases, of which 21 were due to chikungunya and 12 to dengue, according to official data released by state media. Most of the victims were minors.
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