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The United States Ambassador to Cuba, Mike Hammer, met this Tuesday with Monsignor Emilio Aranguren, Bishop of the Diocese of Holguín and former President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC).
In a post on the official account of the United States Embassy in Cuba (@usembcuba), the diplomat stated: “In Holguín, I met with Monsignor Emilio Aranguren. As this year we are celebrating 250 years of independence, I gifted him a replica of our Liberty Bell in Philadelphia: a bell of freedom. #Freedom250.”
The image of the meeting shows both smiling, with the small bell in the bishop's hands, a symbol of independence and hope.
The gesture is part of a series of pastoral visits and community meetings that Hammer has conducted in recent days across eastern Cuba, strengthening a diplomacy rooted in closeness and cultural respect.
The Liberty Bell, an American icon since the 18th century, symbolizes emancipation and justice; its replica, delivered in Holguín, resonates as a message of faith and freedom in a nation marked by repression and crisis.
Monsignor Aranguren, recognized for his pastoral leadership and commitment to peace, has been one of the most respected voices within the Cuban Church. In 2015, he welcomed Pope Francis during his visit to Cuba and has repeatedly called for prayers "for the freedom and future of the nation."
In the current context of political tensions and signs of change, the symbolic ringing of this new bell of freedom in Holguín seems to resonate on the same frequency as the bells of Candelaria in Camagüey: the hope for a new dawn for Cuba.
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