Chicago bishop visits Holguín, Santa Clara
The Most Rev. John R. Manz, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, is visiting two Cuban dioceses to examine pastoral projects that have received funding from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), reports the Catholic World News Service.
Bishop Manz’s visit, Jan. 10-17, has taken him to Holguín and Santa Clara.
According to the USCCB, the Diocese of Holguin received help in 2012 to recover from Hurricane Sandy to continue its religious activities including the rebuilding of church structures and to aid with other pastoral projects.
The Diocese of Santa Clara has received continued assistance for various projects, including pastoral and spiritual care to students at the National University in the City of Santa Clara.
“It is important that the Church in the United States support the Church in Cuba, especially during this time of changes,” Bishop Manz said. Some changes have permitted Cubans to launch businesses, worship more freely and be able to travel abroad.
“The Church in Cuba wants to make sure that as people open businesses they learn about Catholic Social Teaching and the primacy it gives to the human person in the economy. We also want to support the Church in Cuba as it is recognized in civil society for the insights about the human person that it brings to the table,” Bishop Manz added.
Bishop Manz, 69, is a member of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America.
“Of special importance for our Subcommittee is our ability to ensure that our financial support to the different dioceses in Cuba is transmitted smoothly and gets to the beneficiaries promptly,” Bishop Manz said.
“The people in Cuba need our help and we will continue to support them in whatever way we can as the Catholic Church has always believed that engagement, rather than isolation, is the best way to improve human rights and move forward in our relations with the island nation,” concluded the bishop.
The USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America, through its grants program, supports many religious and pastoral projects such as training lay pastoral leaders, marriage and family programs, and projects to foster the public expression of faith in Cuba.
