Havana, May 19 (RHC)-- A Cuban delegation, led by Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa, participated on Sunday in the enthronement of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

The Cuban delegation, which attended the ceremony on behalf of the State, the Government, and the people of the island, also included Caridad Diego, head of the Office for Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Elio Rodríguez.

As part of the visit, Valdés Mesa was received by the new Supreme Pontiff, to whom he reaffirmed his government's willingness to continue working to strengthen relations between Cuba and the Holy See, as previously expressed in a message by the president of that Caribbean nation, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The solemn religious ceremony began at 10:00 a.m. local time this Sunday, with the presence of 156 foreign delegations, including numerous heads of state and government, as well as a general attendance of some 250,000 people.

The Holy Father toured the square in the popemobile at 9:00 a.m. local time to greet the crowd. Before the Eucharistic celebration, he traveled, along with the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, to the tomb of St. Peter located beneath the Vatican Basilica, where he paused in prayer.

In his homily during the Mass, the new Bishop of Rome remembered Pope Francis, whose death on April 21 "filled our hearts with sadness," and highlighted love and unity as the two fundamental dimensions of his pontificate.

The Cuban delegation that participated in this Eucharistic celebration arrived in Rome on the evening of May 16 and, as part of their activities, together with the ambassadors to Italy and the Holy See, Mirta Granda and René Mujica, respectively, paid tribute to Pope Francis last Saturday morning.

Valdés and the members of his delegation placed white roses on the simple tomb of a man who was a true friend of the people of the Caribbean nation. 

(Source: Prensa Latina)