The Cuban Catholic Church lost one of its historical prelates this Friday: Monsignor Mario Eusebio Mestril Vega, emeritus bishop of the Diocese of Ciego de Ávila, passed away at the age of 86 after a rapid decline in health that the diocese itself had warned about days earlier.
Born on March 5, 1940 in Nuevitas, Cuba, Mestril Vega was ordained a priest in 1964 and consecrated bishop on February 9, 1992. His name became forever linked to the history of the Church in the province of Ciego de Ávila: when Pope John Paul II established that diocese on February 2, 1996, he became its first bishop, taking possession of the see on April 28 of that year.
He governed the diocese for more than two decades, until 2017, when he became bishop emeritus upon being succeeded by Juan Gabriel Díaz Ruiz.
His passing occurred days after the diocesan institution itself raised concerns about his health. On September 25, Rev. Randol Pineda Muñoz, chancellor and spokesperson for the diocese, issued a statement through the institution's Facebook page warning that "his health has rapidly deteriorated" in the previous 48 hours and requested prayers from the faithful.
The statement did not specify a diagnosis or cause of the deterioration, but the seriousness of the situation was implicit in the urgent call to the Catholic community.
Mestril Vega was the first and longest-serving bishop of the Diocese of Ciego de Ávila, an institution that just in April of this year celebrated its 30th anniversary of establishment, a milestone where the pastoral legacy of the late prelate took center stage.
After his retirement, the diocese went through a period of instability: his successor, Juan Gabriel Díaz Ruiz, was transferred in April 2022 as bishop of Matanzas, leaving the episcopal seat in Avila vacant, a condition that remains to this day.
With his death, the Catholic Church in Cuba loses one of the prelates who significantly influenced the institutional expansion of the Church on the Island during the second half of the 20th century, in decades that were particularly challenging for religious practice under the dictatorship.
Mestril Vega was a witness and key figure during pivotal moments for Cuban Catholicism, including the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba in 1998, which transformed the relationship between the Church and the State on the Island.
The Diocese of Ciego de Ávila reported a decline in his health just a week before his passing, with no further statements until the confirmation of his death.
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