The people of the hospital and heroic Santiago de Cuba will embrace this afternoon the Pope Francisco who after officiating Mass in Havana and Holguin, respectively, will complete here the final stage of his visit to Cuba.

The first Latin American pope in the Vatican and which has produced the biggest changes in the history of the Vatican will be received at the Antonio Maceo International Airport by the highest political authorities, government and religious authorities in this eastern province.

Francisco will be in Cuba until tomorrow September 22 and then will continue to the United States, where he has a busy schedule until the 28th of this month which even a visit to the United Nations.

Already in the Hero City, a children's glee club from the Catechism of the Church of Santa Lucia, under the direction of Arasay Machirán, will greet the pontiff performing the song "Welcome, Papa Francisco", composed for the occasion by Jesus Estrada, from the city of Manzanillo, Granma province.

His Holiness will travel 22 kilometers from the airport to the town of El Cobre, where the inhabitants on behalf of the people of Santiago de Cuba will welcome him with respect and hospitality and there will meet with bishops, priests, religious, seminarians and lay people.

In the Sanctuary he will have a private prayer to the Virgin of Charity, at which time he will sing the guajira "The Virgin of Cobre" and "Ave Maria," he vocalists Melvin Rodriguez, Vilma Ramirez, Olga Gonzalez and the diocesan priest Jorge Catasús .

As reiterated by the media, Pope Francisco will officiate a Mass in the morning of the 22 at the Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity.

After the religious ceremony, the Bishop of Rome will tour from the General Antonio Maceo Revolution Square Major to the Cathedral, where the people of Santiago de Cuba will give him its affection and respect.

During the day Sunday, His Holiness met with the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro, made a courtesy visit to the Cuban president, met with priests, religious and seminarians in the Cathedral of Havana and greeted young people at the Felix Varela Cultural Center.
This is the third visit in the past 17 years by a pope to Cuba after those made by John Paul II in 1998, and Benedict XVI, in 2012.