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Monsignor Jorge Enrique Serpa Pérez, Emeritus Bishop of the Diocese of San Rosendo de Pinar del Río, passed away on the night of last Thursday in Havana at the age of 84, leaving a legacy of pastoral bravery and commitment to the most vulnerable in Cuba.
The Diocese of Pinar del Río announced his passing with a Statement of Sorrow signed by the current bishop, Monsignor Juan de Dios Hernández Ruiz, S.J., who wrote: "With deep sorrow, but with alive hope in the Resurrection, we announce that on the night of this April 17, 2026, our dear Excellency Mons. Jorge Enrique Serpa Pérez has departed to meet God."
Born on March 16, 1942, in Cienfuegos, Serpa completed his early studies at the Seminario del Buen Pastor in Havana and from 1961 he studied theology in Tournai, Belgium, where he was ordained a priest on July 14, 1968.
After his ordination, the Cuban regime prevented him from returning to the island for 31 years, during which he carried out his ministry in the Archdiocese of Bogotá, Colombia, where he served as pastor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from 1973 to 1999 and as director of a Catholic school from 1985 to 1999.
Upon returning to Cuba in 1999, he was incorporated into the Presbyteral Council of Havana and served as a parish priest, episcopal vicar, and rector of the Major Seminary of San Cristóbal de La Habana.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Pinar del Río on December 13, 2006, and he was ordained on January 13, 2007, at the Cathedral of Havana.
During his episcopate, he presided over the Prison Ministry and Health Ministry committees of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Cuba, and supervised the construction of the first Catholic church in Cuba since 1959, the Sacred Heart of Jesus temple in Sandino, inaugurated on February 7, 2019.
One of the most memorable episodes of his ministry was his 2018 visit to the scientist and activist Ariel Ruiz Urquiola, who was on a hunger strike in the Pinar del Río prison.
Ruiz Urquiola himself paid a public tribute to the deceased bishop: "In front of my body, he cried, then he prayed, and guided my wheelchair toward the liberation of my soul, making it known to the government of Cuba that it would be responsible for the death of another innocent. He did not fill his belly with money from other governments, and humbly in his cassock, he visited the prisons and helped the inmates."
Omara Isabel Ruiz Urquiola, sister of the activist, also bid farewell with words of deep recognition: "An upright priest who sheltered us in the midst of darkness and was hope while he held my brother's faltering body. He paved the way for us among the pack, unafraid, with the strength of the righteous."
The Diocese of Pinar del Río remembered him as "a brave man with a clear voice" who "was not afraid to proclaim the Gospel freely, to point out the truth with steadfast charity."
Pope Francis accepted his resignation as bishop on June 5, 2019, having surpassed the age of 75, and since then has served as Bishop Emeritus.
The funeral Mass was held at the La Milagrosa Chapel in Guanabacoa, where Monsignor Serpa had served as parish priest upon his return to Cuba, and his remains rest in the Guanabacoa Cemetery, in the family mausoleum.
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