Cuban President Arrives at the Vatican To Meet With Pope Francis

On Tuesday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez arrived to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis.

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Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived at 10:00 a.m. (local time) at the Vatican headquarters to meet with the highest leader of the Catholic Church amid great expectations.

Upon his arrival at the Vatican, Diaz-Canel was received by the head of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, who is in charge of protocol, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza.

The meeting between Diaz-Canel and Francis will be held in the office adjacent to the Paul VI Hall, where major Vatican events are held.

Official statements affirm that the Pope's audience with Diaz-Canel is strictly private, and it is being held days after Francis was discharged after spending 9 days hospitalized for an abdominal hernia operation.

As a present, the Vatican gave Díaz-Canel a handmade sculpture of poly-chrome bronze design by Michele Palazzetti.

According to the description gifted along with the sculpture, it “reproduces a decorative detail of the entrance atrium of the Secretariat of State. The dove, with an olive branch in its beak, symbolizes the peace to which all are called to contribute in the different expressions of human activity through dialogue, acceptance and mutual understanding.”

The motto in the sculpture transcripts to: Be messengers of peace.

As part of a tour of Europe from June 20 to 24, Diaz-Canel will meet with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella and with the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after his meeting with the Pope at the Vatican.

Diaz-Canel is expected to meet with Mattarella and Meloni at 4:00 p.m. local time at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy.

In an official statement, the Vatican announced on June 16 that Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin will receive Diaz-Canel and Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez.