Aid to the Church in Need: Cuba: Tributes to Bishop

Cuba: Tributes to Bishop

Posted by Press Release on 14/9/2004, 8:35 am
Message modified by board administrator 15/9/2004, 11:37 am

Cuba: Tributes to Bishop
who served the poor
TRIBUTES have been made to a bishop in Cuba whose service to the poor and the afflicted left a memorable mark across his diocese.
Monsignor Mariano Valiente, who has died aged 71, was devoted to the care of the suffering and set up storehouses despatching food, soap and other basic support to suffering communities in his diocese of Matanzas, east of the Cuban capital, Havana.
When entire villages were cut off by hurricanes and monsoons sweeping the north of the island, Bishop Valiente masterminded relief operations for those worst affected.
A man of simple, yet profound prayer, Bishop Mariano was remembered in his Requiem Mass as a gentle man devoted to the service of the Church and the people of his diocese.
Cardinal Jaime Ortega, Archbishop of Havana, led the tributes at a packed service for the bishop.

Clergy and faithful alike have recalled how Bishop Mariano’s uncomplicated faith and humility were ideal for disarming the communist authorities who were nervous about the Church’s ministry in a region with a huge gulf separating rich from poor.
Not far from struggling village communities in Matanzas is the luxurious tourist centre of Varadero. At various times the communist authorities have created restrictions discouraging local people from accessing the tourist region.
Bishop Mariano, who was born in San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba, was ordained in May 1961 as the new Castro regime’s onslaught against the Church reached a climax.
His unassuming manner masked a steely resolve, which was shown early on when he went ahead with his ordination and stayed on in Cuba despite the hounding of priests that resulted in hundreds fleeing the island in fear of their lives.
Consecrated a bishop in June 1987, he steered a delicate course in a diocese heavily reliant on missionaries – the victims of frequent expulsions by the Castro regime.
At the time of his death, last month, only nine of the 25 priests of his diocese were native Cubans.
Aid to the Church in Need’s John Pontifex recalled visiting Bishop Mariano during a visit to Cuba in March last year.
“Bishop Mariano could not have been more hospitable and friendly,” he said. “He insisted on showing us the storehouse where he keeps supplies for the poor in his diocese.
He added: “His work in that area was a huge source of pride and he seemed happiest when talking about what he did for those most in need.”
Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic charity, which supports persecuted and poverty-stricken Christians, has provided key support to Bishop Mariana for many years.
The charity approved all but two of the 38 requests for help Bishop Mariano made.
Besides Mass stipends and Blessed Sacrament tabernacles, ACN’s help included grants for prison ministry and a jeep enabling priests to minister to virtually impassable areas and provide them with vital supplies.
Photo: Bishop Mariano Valiente shows his storeroom full of basic
supplies for the poor to ACN's John Pontifex
Editor’s Notes:
Enjoying the personal backing of Pope John Paul II, Aid to the Church in Need is a registered charity dedicated to the support of persecuted and oppressed Christians.
Founded in 1947 by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, whom the Pope named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 130 countries throughout the world, especially Eastern Europe.
The charity undertakes about 8,000 projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, about 40 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.
For more information about Aid to the Church in Need, contact the Sydney office of Aid to the Church in Need on 02 9679-1929.

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org