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The priest Yuniel Alfonso Quintero, affectionately known as "Lolo," is showing a "favorable evolution" in his health condition this Wednesday, following the accident he suffered the day before after falling from the roof of a church in Cienfuegos, according to the official medical report released by the Diocese of that province.
The parish priest "remains stable, with nearly a total recovery of his memory," reported the vicar general of the Diocese of Cienfuegos, Father Manel Homar Toboso. "He is currently communicating clearly and is in good spirits, which reflects a positive evolution," he emphasized.
Toboso added that "they are still waiting for the hip surgery to be conducted as soon as possible" and provided an encouraging report regarding "the possible injuries from cranial trauma" that the priest may have suffered, which "seem to be ruled out, which is a hopeful sign."
The Diocese invited the religious community to remain in prayer for the "swift and complete recovery" of Quintero, the parish priest of the Parishes of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Rodas and Our Lady of Charity in Cartagena, both located in the municipality of Rodas.
On Tuesday, the priest was urgently admitted to the intensive care unit of the Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima University General Hospital in the city of Cienfuegos, suffering from fractures in the hip and skull as a result of the fall.
The injuries Quintero sustained in the accident have raised concern among the faithful and the Catholic community in the region, who are closely following the priest's recovery and awaiting new medical reports that confirm his improvement.
So far, the causes of the accident have not been disclosed. It is unclear whether the father was performing any repair work on the roof of the building or if other circumstances led to his fall. Many churches in the country suffer from severe structural deterioration due to damage accumulated from leaks and years of lack of maintenance.
In June 2025, a part of the cross of the San Antonio de Padua church in Cárdenas collapsed, leaving two people injured.
The accident involving the parish priest of Cienfuegos occurred at a very sensitive time for the Catholic Church in Cuba, as just days earlier, the emeritus bishop Jorge Enrique Serpa Pérez passed away at the age of 84, a figure of great significance for Cuban Catholicism, whose life was marked by exile and faith. After his ordination as a priest in Belgium in 1968, the Cuban regime prevented Serpa from returning to the country for 31 years, during which he carried out his ministry in the Archdiocese of Bogotá, Colombia. Upon returning to the island in 1999, he was integrated into the Presbyteral Council of Havana and served as parish priest, episcopal vicar, and rector of the Major Seminary of San Cristóbal de La Habana.
In December of last year, the Holguin priest José Necuze Necuze passed away at the age of 92, reportedly due to the chikungunya virus, according to sources from his family. Necuze was trained as a priest in Spain and, after returning to Cuba, served his ministry in the Archdiocese of Santiago, before continuing his pastoral service in various locations in the eastern part of the country.
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