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Father Yuniel Alfonso Quintero, known as "Padre Lolo," was discharged from the hospital this Sunday following a favorable improvement in his health, according to the official statement from the Diocese of Cienfuegos published this morning.
The accident occurred on Tuesday, April 21, when the priest fell from the roof of a church in Cienfuegos and suffered fractures in the hip and the skull.
He was urgently admitted to the intensive care unit of the Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima University General Hospital, the main hospital in the city.
The report was issued by Father Manel Homar Toboso, General Vicar of the Diocese, who stated that "this morning Father Yuniel Alfonso Quintero, 'Lolo', has been discharged from the hospital after a favorable improvement in his health condition."
According to the statement, the priest "will continue his recovery process in Cienfuegos, where he will follow the medical instructions set for his complete recovery."
The Vicar General also clarified that "due to medical advice, visits are restricted until their recovery progresses, with the aim of ensuring their well-being."
The recovery of Father Lolo progressed in stages throughout the week.
The priest's prognosis was deemed hopeful on Wednesday, April 23, when the Diocese reported that he was stable, had nearly fully regained his memory, and was communicating clearly, with possible brain injury concerns progressively ruled out.
Two days later, the priest underwent a successful surgical procedure on his hip on Friday, April 24, which paved the way for his eventual discharge.
The exact causes of the fall have not been publicly revealed. It has not been officially confirmed whether the priest was performing repair work on the roof at the time of the accident, something that would not be unusual given the structural deterioration affecting numerous churches in Cuba due to a chronic lack of maintenance.
The case generated a wide response of solidarity among Catholic faithful in Cuba, at a particularly sensitive time for the Church in the country.
Just four days before the accident, the emeritus bishop Jorge Enrique Serpa Pérez passed away in Havana on April 17 at the age of 84, a prominent figure in Cuban Catholicism whose life was marked by exile and pastoral commitment.
The discharge statement was issued on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday, and the Vicar General concluded the message with the words of the priest himself, his family, and the Diocese: "On behalf of Father Lolo, his family, and the Diocese of Cienfuegos, we deeply appreciate the constant and fervent prayers of everyone for his healing. May God repay you!"
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