The Christian legacy "has taken root in the Cuban soul", because the "values" of the Gospel, which arrived five centuries ago in the island, "have had great influence over the birth of the nation" and remain "a vital factor, not least for the harmony and the happy future of the country". It was written by the Pope to the Bishops of Cuba, in the message he sent today, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of John Paul II’s visit to the Caribbean country. The believers’ job, recalls the Pope in his message, is to show "that the Church, in focussing its glance on to Jesus, tends to do good, to promote the dignity of man, and, while sowing feelings of understanding, mercy and reconciliation, it helps improve man and society". "Remembering, ten years later, those days that were unforgettable for the Cuban Church and the Cuban population, lived in front of the excited eyes of the whole world began Benedict XVI , is no doubt a duty of gratitude for my revered Predecessor" and an opportunity to "renew the evangelising impulse that He left deeply imprinted in everybody’s heart". "I spiritually feel amongst you, as is proven by the presence of cardinal Tarcisio Bertone", exclaimed the Pontiff, professing his "esteem" for the local clergy and "sympathy with the aspirations and concerns of all Cubans". (continued)
