A photograph of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, Patroness of Cuba, taken by Santiago photographer Rubén Aja Garí, made its way to Pope Leo XIV in Rome, after a journey that began in Santiago de Cuba.
The journalist Ernesto Parra Muñoz shared the story on Facebook with a phrase that encapsulates the symbolism of the gesture: "From Santiago de Cuba to Rome, with the Virgin in the heart."
The image was presented to the pontiff by Monsignor Osmany Massó Cuesta, bishop of the Diocese of the Most Holy Savior of Bayamo-Manzanillo, after Cubans gathered in Rome decided to make it a gift for Leon XIV.
The photographer himself celebrated this Thursday that his work had reached "the Holy Father" and expressed gratitude to Aldo Raúl Segura Álvarez and Monsignor Massó for serving as a bridge to make the delivery possible.
According to Aja Garí, it all started when Aldo Raúl Segura, a Santiago native currently studying at the seminary in Rome, asked him for one of his photographs to accompany the celebration of the Virgin of Charity of Copper that was to take place at the Church of San Bartolomé.
"The photograph was chosen to be part of the celebration, and later, among all those Cubans gathered in Rome, the idea arose to turn it into a gift for Pope Leo XIV," the photographer explained to the journalist.
Before reaching the pontiff, the photograph was signed on the back by several of the Cuban participants in the celebration, along with the name of its author.
"They signed it on the back, next to my name, also leaving on it the mark of those who wanted to bring a piece of Cuba and our devotion to the Virgin to the Holy Father," Aja Garí recounted.
The responsibility of completing that journey fell to Monsignor Osmany Massó Cuesta, who ultimately presented the image to Pope Leo XIV: "And today, Monsignor Osmany Massó Cuesta, Bishop of Bayamo-Manzanillo, had the beautiful mission of delivering it to the Holy Father. I can only feel gratitude," the photographer expressed.
For Aja Garí, the moment transcends the fact that one of her photographs has reached the pope and also represents the symbolic presence of Cuba and one of its deepest religious devotions.
"It is knowing that an image born in Cuba, created by a Cuban and chosen by other Cubans, traveled to Rome to speak, silently, of our Mother and our land," he stated.
The photographer closed his message with a wish directed to Cubans both on the island and abroad: «May the Virgin of Charity continue to cover Cuba and all her children with her mantle, wherever they may be».
Monsignor Osmany Massó Cuesta also maintains a recent and direct connection with the current pope.
León XIV appointed him on January 3, 2026 Bishop of the Diocese of the Most Holy Savior of Bayamo-Manzanillo, after accepting the resignation of Monsignor Álvaro Julio Beyra Luarca.
Additionally, from the gardens of the Holy See and in front of an image of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, he sent a brief and heartfelt message to the Cuban people from the Vatican, in which he stated that he had prayed for Cuba and its inhabitants.
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