Monsignor
Mamberti grateful for demonstrations of affection
and cordiality
Anneris Ivette
Leyva
MONSIGNOR Dominique Mamberti,
secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See,
expressed his appreciation of the intensive social
care provided as an essential part of the Cuban
Revolution by the former Nuestra Señora de Belén
Convent, now the headquarters of the Humanitarian
Affairs Department attached to the Havana City
Historian’s Office.
|
The visitor
touring the former
convent building. |
During a tour of the convent
facilities, accompanied by Eusebio Sentí, European
director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Eusebio
Leal Spengler, city historian; Cardinal Jaime
Ortega, archbishop of Havana; and Giovanni Angelo
Becciu, the apostolic nuncio, Monsignor Mamberti
witnessed the profoundly humane work underway in
every part of the center.
"I am very happy to be here on my
last day in Cuba, and to be able to convey to you
the greetings that Pope Benedict XVI asked me to
transmit to the people. This is an appropriate
occasion to thank everybody for all the
demonstrations of cordiality and affection that I
have received here," Monsignor Mamberti affirmed.
"My memories of this meeting will
always be in my heart and in my prayers," he added.
Among the convent’s facilities,
aimed at alleviating the needs of the elderly,
children, young people and those with physical or
psychological disabilities, the visitors were
particularly impressed by the ophthalmological,
optometry and rehabilitation services, where older
adults are treated for visual problems; the
physiotherapy section; and the craft workshops.
The Vilma Niña infants day care
center, basically working with families with
different social problems, and the one housing
children and accompanying adults coming to the
capital to receive wheelchairs, were other places in
which the excellent and loving treatment given by
the staff was palpable, with volunteer workers
providing a strong core.
On Sunday evening, Foreign Minister
Bruno Rodríguez Parilla and the Apostolic Nuncio in
Cuba accompanied Monsignor Mamberti to José Martí
International Airport. The Vatican representative
described his meeting with President Raúl Castro as
very positive and thanked the Cuban and
ecclesiastical authorities for their warm reception
throughout his "unforgettable trip."
