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\r\nYou gave one of your works to Pope Benedict XVI and another to Pope Francis during the visit of these Pontiffs to Cuba. How did you live these unique experiences?
“These were two extraordinary experiences: in the first, with Pope Benedict XVI, I gave them to me boldly and, on my own, I began to develop a triptych with the image of our Lady of Charity of Copper, in order to give it to him during his visit to Cuba. Then they said to me, ‘Don’t waste your time, you’re going to get frustrated, nobody’s going to give him your work.’ But I didn’t give up. When I went to see Father Vladimir Aguilar, he thought that I was wearing another type of work, but when he saw Our Lady he was astonished. I thank him for all the management to give it to the Holy Father, who still keeps it, as I have been assured.
“When Pope Francis’ visit was to occur, I was called by Father Jorge Luis P\u00e9rez Soto, on behalf of the organizers of the visit, to involve me in the restoration of the Cathedral of Havana. This experience was touching, because I saw up close how the masters of the Vatican mosaic work. They mounted a glazed mosaic of two angels on the altarpiece and allowed me to work with them.
“At that moment, I became en engaged in the realization of a Byzantine-style cross, finally chosen to represent young Cubans at the meeting of young Catholics, which would be held in our country, and blessed by Pope Francis.
“In order to give it especially to Pope Francis, I was engaged during my evening rest hours, in the realization of a St. Joseph with a loaded and asleep child, under his protection. When I told Father Jorge Luis about my intentions, he said, ‘Go ahead, don’t stop!’ In about a fortnight I did it and it was given to the Holy Father in the Apostolic Nunciature.
“After blessing the cross, when Pope Francis was leaving, S.E.R. Cardinal Jaime Ortega took me to greet him personally and told him that I was the author of the cross he had just blessed.
“The Pope gave me his blessing and I thanked him for his special closeness to the Cuban people. I asked him to take great care of himself and then he pointed to heaven before saying, ‘He’s the one who takes care of me.’ He put his hand on my head as if I were a child and that light-hearted gesture was kept in my heart and in my memory as the gesture of a simple, close father.”<\/p>\r\n
Living in Bauta, that is, outside the capital, and working the mosaic, have not been given the noses when it comes to recognizing the value of your work?
“It hasn’t affected me at all. The important thing is not whether you live in the capital or in a country town, but the value of your work and your willingness to work. Living in Bauta, being part of its cultural institutions and its creators fills me with extraordinary pride. To God and to my people, spiritual refuge of the Origins group, I thank Him for all that I am. and I hope to be.” \u03a9<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"