CubaPLUS Magazine

Pope Francis today sent a message to the V International Conference For the Balance of the World, which is being held in Cuba, where he emphasized the importance of the thought of the country#39;s national hero, Jose Marti.

In his letter, released Tuesday by the press office of the Holy See, the Supreme Pontiff highlighted the relevance of the event, which takes place in Havana from January 24 to 28, in the framework of the 170th anniversary of Marti’s birth, ‘presenting his figure as a reason to awaken the consciences of all those in the world who are called to create a climate of talks and fraternity’.

The importance of these ideas, he said, is that they can ‘promote significant changes in the current social and political circumstances’, in which it is urgent to build bridges that can help us find together viable solutions that do not exclude anyone’.

I consider important that our gaze be fixed not so much on what each one of us, with the best of intentions, could propose, but on the absolute need to sit down and listen to others,’ the Bishop of Rome stressed to the delegates to this world event, held in the Cuban capital.

He referred to the words pronounced by Marti in August 1892 before the tomb of the venerable Felix Varela, where he exalted that the Cuban priest ‘said without fear what he saw and admired, as Francis said, ‘his love for his land and his gallantry in denouncing what he considered incompatible with the social welfare’.

From those roots, Marti affirms how the figure of Father Varela is capable of bringing together wills for a common effort’, for which ‘it is a matter, then, of looking to the past, not denying our roots, which lead us to learn from our elders, from the faith that moved them, from the coherence of life that this faith imposed on them’.

In this document they speak of paying homage to Father Varela by building a monument to him.

The Pope echoed what was recently expressed in his message to the World Day of Peace, about the displays of faith, hope and generous dedication of ‘many heroes’ during the Covid-19 pandemic, when it was demonstrated that ‘it is together, in fraternity and solidarity, that we can build peace, guarantee justice and overcome the most painful events.’

This is the key to recovering the balance that gives name to your meeting, because only together will we be able to face the various moral, social, politica and economic crises we are suffering and which are all interconnected’ added the supreme pontiff.

(With information from Prensa Latina)