The construction has started for Francis' visit. The tower
in the background is the José Martí Memorial.
in the background is the José Martí Memorial.
Francis will offer his Novus Ordo mass in Havana, Cuba at the Revolution Square (Plaza de la Revolución). Originally the Revolution Square was named the Civic Square (Plaza Cívica) by President Fulgencio Batista (who had been elected President of Cuba and then several years later seized power in a coup). After Fidel Castro overthrew Batista, he gave the square its present name. The square houses a memorial to José Martí and is bordered by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Information & Communications buildings which have iron images bolted to the sides of the buildings in homage to Ernesto Che Guevara & Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán. It is fitting that Francis who recently received a replica hammer & sickle crucifix while in Bolivia will hold his mass here. In all his endless rants on capitalism one never hears him criticize Marxism, socialism, or communism. Why is this? One last question, were there no other squares available in Cuba?
The José Martí Memorial at Revolution Square. José Martí was is a Cuban national hero and interestingly had a dergee in canon law and was a friend of Victor Hugo.
View of Revolution Square from the observation tower in the José Martí Memorial.
The iron portrait of communist Ernesto Che Guevara on the Ministry of Information building.
The iron portrait of anarchist Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán on the
Ministry of Information & Communications building.
"I am not Christ or a philanthropist, old lady, I am all the contrary of a
Christ.... I fight for the things I believe in, with all the weapons at
my disposal and try to leave the other man dead so that I don't get
nailed to a cross or any other place."
