Vatican Envoy Cardinal Beniamino Stella cancels a stamp during a ceremony to launch a postage stamp celebrating the 25th anniversary of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba,

Havana, Jan 25 (RHC) Cardinal Beniamino Stella, and Cuba's interim Foreign Minister Gerardo Peñalver canceled a stamp during a ceremony to launch a postage stamp celebrating the 25th anniversary of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba.

At the Foreign Ministry headquarters, the special envoy of Pope Francis to the celebrations for the event, accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio Giampiero Gloder and other ecclesiastical authorities, signed the special edition of four postage stamps recalling the Masses officiated in January 1998 by the then Supreme Pontiff John Paul II.

Monsignor Gloder thanked the Cuban authorities for the simple but significant gesture in remembrance of the event, which marked not only the relations between the Vatican, the Catholic Church, and the Caribbean nation, but also left a mark on the people and had an impact on international relations.

He recalled that the Holy Father wanted to come to Cuba despite his deteriorated health and advanced age, a message of love towards Cubans and a sign of his desire to build bridges to favor a path of dialogue.

Gerardo Peñalver. Photo: Omara García Mederos

For his part, Deputy Foreign Minister Elio Rodríguez pointed out that the activities are a way of renewing the commitment to strengthen the historic relations between Cuba and the Vatican, which date back to June 7, 1935, and are considered positive, of mutual respect and recognition.

The cancellation was attended by the head of the Office of Attention to Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Caridad Diego; the First Deputy Minister of Communications, Wilfredo González; the Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García; and the president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, Monsignor Emilio Aranguren, among other clergymen, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Communications.

On January 21, 1998, John Paul II arrived in Cuba in what would be the first visit of a pope to the island, followed by Benedict XVI in 2012 and Francis in 2015. (Source: Prensa Latina)