Today brings the Holy Father's visit to the most Catholic country in Central America to an end, and sees the beginning of his visit to the least.
Cheering crowds were present to bid him adios as he left the airport in Leon (the text of his farewell speech is yet to come), but the next leg of the trip will no doubt bear a different colour. Respected sources including the Archbishop of Miami, know only too well that there are a number of challenges to be overcome before relations between the Vatican and Cuba can be said to be behind us.
If history is any indication, papal visits have a way of surprising even the most skeptical of bystanders, so the next couple of days should be very interesting for those who have vested interests, and even those who see Cuba as merely one of the preferred vacation spots. No doubt the wording of the Holy Father's speeches, and his array of encounters in the next few days have been crafted with great attention - perhaps some of them are still being polished even in flight.
The work of diplomacy can indeed be tricky at times, especially when the world is watching. What will this new chapter bring?
Cheering crowds were present to bid him adios as he left the airport in Leon (the text of his farewell speech is yet to come), but the next leg of the trip will no doubt bear a different colour. Respected sources including the Archbishop of Miami, know only too well that there are a number of challenges to be overcome before relations between the Vatican and Cuba can be said to be behind us.
If history is any indication, papal visits have a way of surprising even the most skeptical of bystanders, so the next couple of days should be very interesting for those who have vested interests, and even those who see Cuba as merely one of the preferred vacation spots. No doubt the wording of the Holy Father's speeches, and his array of encounters in the next few days have been crafted with great attention - perhaps some of them are still being polished even in flight.
The work of diplomacy can indeed be tricky at times, especially when the world is watching. What will this new chapter bring?
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