(RNS) A delegation of U.S. Catholic bishops will visit Cuba next week (Aug. 17-21) to check up on relief money sent last year after two hurricanes devastated the island.
After Hurricanes Gustave and Ike, the Catholic Church in Cuba was given more than $850,000, including $250,000 specifically for 11 hurricane-relief projects, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The USCCB’s director for the Church in Latin America, the Rev. Andrew Small, will be joined by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Fla., and Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu of San Antonio for this trip.
“We will be visiting those impacted areas and seeing what kind of clean up has taken place since last year and how else we might help the Church in Cuba,” said Small in a statement.
In April, President Obama relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba. The U.S. bishops are pushing for a full repeal of those restrictions.
The bishops’ trip will follow a visit to Cuba by three members of the New York-based Pastors for Peace, who met separately with Cuban President Raul Castro and former president Fidel Castro in late July. Pastors for Peace has urged Obama to “normalize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.”
