The town of El Cobre and the Basilica hosting the Virgen de la Caridad are preparing for the Pope Francisco next 21 and 22 September, during his visit to this country.
The seminarian Elvys Solis Vazquez, on behalf of the authorities of the Sanctuary, told Prensa Latina reported on the progress of the works so that the religious enclosure is ready to offer the Eucharist the Pope on 22 in the morning before thousands of people from across the nation.
Solis stated that the head of the Catholic Church will arrive in these lands from the eastern city of Holguin and in the evening of 21 here share prayer with the Cuban bishops and pray before the statue of the deity.
Like the faithful who come to this sacred place, said the pope Francisco will wreath flowers and candles to the Virgin, accompanied by the Cuban bishops.
He highlighted the seminarian to the Basilica and Sanctuary of El Cobre people travel from all over Cuba, from Pinar del Rio to Guantánamo, native mostly small communities.
Inside the church will be present about 700 thousand Cubans, he said, and the Plaza Mariana, located outside the building, thousands will gather to follow the ritual and then be near His Holiness when making the short journey planned by those areas.
In the morning of 22 will also take place in the Cathedral of this city a meeting with Cuban families Francisco, after which he will bless from the atrium to the city that just celebrated its 500 years.
He added that since the central Cespedes Park across from the parish and from the Plaza de Mars, a few blocks away, the people of Santiago and other parts of the country continue on television screens the details of these solemn ceremonies.
He confirmed that this is a pastoral and apostolic trip to the island and the United States, by which Pope confirms citizens as a missionary of mercy.
In some sections, the transfer by this territory will be in an open vehicle, which will facilitate the salute of thousands of locals and visitors who expressed admiration, respect and affection for the Pope, Solis said.
According to the program announced at the end of these activities in the city, the head of the Catholic Church will leave for the United States from the Antonio Maceo International Airport to continue their journey.
Located about 20 kilometers from the city, the town of El Cobre and especially the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity are the daily a few thousand people-a higher number in the weeks late arriving from various parts of the Cuban geography and other countries attracted by the mystique of a place blessed.
The magnetism of its religious significance the natural beauty of the landscape come together, with the mountains of the Sierra Maestra background, secular imprint of mining as an industry even decades ago and the slave rebellion, with the Cimarron Memorial sculpture by Alberto Lescay in one of its elevations.