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Amidst blackouts, paralyzed airports, and a fuel shortage that has disrupted daily life in Cuba, a bishop managed to travel to Rome and meet with Pope Leo XIV.
According to EWTN News, Mons. Silvano Pedroso Montalvo, bishop of Guantánamo-Baracoa, had a meeting with the pontiff on February 20 during the traditional ad limina visit, despite the fact that the rest of the Cuban episcopate had canceled the trip due to the energy crisis affecting the Island.
The official Vatican schedule confirmed the presence of the Cuban prelate in Rome, although the press office did not provide additional details regarding the unscheduled meeting. Pedroso is one of the 17 bishops that make up the Catholic hierarchy in Cuba, distributed across 11 ecclesiastical jurisdictions throughout the country.
The ad limina visit —which involves an audience with the Pope and the presentation of a report on the pastoral reality of each diocese— was scheduled from February 16 to 20. However, initially, it was canceled due to the seriousness of the situation on the Island.
Days earlier, Vatican sources had confirmed that the trip was canceled "because the current conditions do not allow it," directly referring to the lack of fuel that has even affected air operations. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Cuba itself had warned about the worsening of the crisis and emphasized the urgency of supporting the people amid so many shortages.
“The pastors have prayed and understood that this is a time to be with the flock: to pray, to accompany, to serve,” explained Father Ariel Suárez, assistant secretary of the Cuban Episcopal Conference, in statements collected by EWTN News.
That only one of them was eventually able to travel adds an unexpected nuance to a context marked by scarcity. The prolonged economic crisis—characterized by a decline in GDP, rising inflation, and power outages that stretch for hours in various provinces—has complicated travel both within and outside the country, turning any departure into an odyssey.
The gesture takes on special symbolism at a time of heightened diplomatic tensions. On February 1, after the Angelus prayer, Pope León XIV publicly expressed his concern about the escalation between Cuba and the United States and called for “sincere and effective dialogue” to prevent further suffering for the Cuban people. His words came after Washington intensified economic pressure on the Island through measures aimed at cutting off the oil supply.
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