Niurka Paz, a 33-year-old Cuban lawyer, became the most emotive face of Pope León XIV's first apostolic visit to Spain as she recounted to him in person, with her babies in her arms, how she arrived alone from Cuba while pregnant with twins without familial support or any assistance.
The Pontiff chose the Emergency and Comprehensive Care Center 24 hours (CEDIA) of Cáritas, located in the Lucero neighborhood of the Carabanchel district, as the first public act of his stay in Madrid, where the Church assists over 2,000 migrants and homeless individuals each year.
Niurka arrived in Spain last summer fleeing from Cuba, with uncertainty as her only baggage. Once in Spanish territory, she discovered that she was pregnant with twins.
She was welcomed by the Hogar Santa Bárbara, affiliated with the Cáritas Madrid network, where her children Ares Ezequiel and Atenea were born, and they also received the sacrament of baptism in the same place.
Before the Pope, the young Cuban presented a ribbon with the names of the children and spoke words that moved those present: “Ezequiel and Atenea were born here. Here they received the sacrament of baptism. Today we want to give you these ribbons with their names, which represent their lives and how they have thrived thanks to the care of all these people and the Church. Thank you, Father, for helping us build a future filled with faith and hope for our children.”
León XIV recounted his story in the speech he delivered to those present and emphasized that "thanks to a dream and a small open door, Niurka has given life to Ares and Athena, her motherly love, the grace of Baptism, and the promise of a happy future."
Alongside Niurka, Khadri, a young Senegalese man who arrived in Spain by boat and navigated the pandemic with the help of the center, also shared his story. The Pope used both testimonies to deliver a direct message to society: "charity knows no delays."
The Pontiff went further and issued a warning to the believers themselves: "Christians also, on many occasions, allow themselves to be influenced by attitudes shaped by worldly ideologies or by political and economic positions that lead to unjust generalizations and misleading conclusions."
The event took place in a courtyard with barely 200 plastic chairs and a stage of about twenty square meters, in an environment that was as simple as it was symbolic. The choice of location did not go unnoticed by the attendees: Sergio, a volunteer from the San Felipe de Vallecas mental health center, captured the general sentiment with a phrase that was echoed among those present: "We are excited. It is extremely significant that he decided to come here first."
The Cardinal of Madrid, José Cobo, welcomed the Pontiff, emphasizing that Madrid "has always been a city of many doors" and that Leo XIV had chosen to enter "through a unique door: small in appearance, but immense in mercy." He concluded his welcome with the traditional saying "from Madrid to heaven."
Cuban emigration to Spain has significantly increased in recent years, driven by the economic and political crisis the island has been experiencing after more than six decades of dictatorship. Many Cubans, like Niurka, arrive without a support network and in a state of extreme vulnerability.
The Pope Leo XIV learns about the reality of Cuba up close: as the general prior of the Order of Saint Augustine, he facilitated the return of the Augustinians to the island after their expulsion in 1961 and visited several times before being elected Pontiff on May 8, 2025.
The performance by singer Niña Pastori added a musical touch to the ceremony, which Luis Hernández of Cáritas Madrid had opened with a phrase that encapsulated the spirit of the gathering: "The last shall be first today."
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