WASHINGTON—Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued the following statement:

“I would like to congratulate His Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan on his recently concluded pastoral solidarity visit to the Church in Cuba. His Eminence, who traveled to the island at the invitation of the Cuban bishops, celebrated Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Caridad del Cobre in Santiago–the spiritual heart of Cuba–as well as at the Cathedral of Havana, the Adolfo Rodriguez convalescent home in Camaguey, the Carmelite Convent in Havana, among others.

“The Cardinal reiterated longstanding Holy See and USCCB policy on Cuba: Mutually beneficial trade relations, tourism, and cultural exchange with the United States are key in transforming Cuba and bringing prosperity to the Cuban people.

“Recognizing the Church’s role in the development of Cuban civil society, His Eminence visited the Dominican-founded University of Havana and the tomb of Fr. Felix Varela, the great 19th century Cuban priest-patriot. The Cardinal also visited the Latin American School of Medicine and Caritas Cuba.

“In addition to expressing solidarity with our brother bishops in Cuba and meeting with Apostolic Nuncio Giampiero Gloder, His Eminence met with President Miguel Diaz-Canel. The Church in Cuba and the United States believe in the transformative power of dialogue, especially regarding the promotion of life, dignity, integral human development, and prosperity. I echo the Cardinal’s expressions of solidarity and urge Cuban and U.S. leaders to work for concord and collaboration between our countries.”

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Keywords: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Bishop David J. Malloy, Committee on International Justice and Peace, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Cuba.

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