The Cuban bishop Osmany Massó Cuesta sent a brief but emotional message to the people of the island from the Vatican, where he stated that he had prayed for Cuba before the image of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre located in the gardens of the Holy See.
The San Antonio María Claret Parish in Santiago de Cuba shared this Saturday the message from Monsignor Massó, currently the bishop of the Diocese of the Most Holy Savior of Bayamo and Manzanillo.
"In the afternoon of this Saturday, I was able to visit within the gardens of the Vatican the image of Our Lady of Charity," the clergyman expressed.
Massó took that moment before the Patroness of Cuba to dedicate a prayer both to the faithful under his pastoral care and to all Cubans.
"I have prayed for our diocese and all our people," he stated.
The image of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre present in the Vatican Gardens holds special significance for Cuban Catholics.
It was placed there in 2014 and is a bronze replica of the image historically connected to the Bay of Nipe.
Pope Francis himself emphasized that his presence in the Vatican evoked the devotion of the Church and the Cuban people to their patroness.
Massó, born in Santiago de Cuba in 1976, was appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the bishop of the Most Holy Savior of Bayamo and Manzanillo on January 3, 2026.
Until then, he was the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba and the parish priest of San Antonio María Claret.
His episcopal ordination took place on March 14 at the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba, in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Dionisio García Ibáñez.
Massó's message arrives just hours before the feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.
Since August 30, communities across the country have been participating in the traditional novena, which concludes on September 7, the eve of the celebration of Cuba's Patroness.
This year's prayers have included direct references to the difficult situation facing the island, with requests for families, the sick, and those lacking basic necessities, as well as a plea for God to "enlighten the minds of our rulers."
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