Archbishop Makarios of Australia arrived in Cuba on Wednesday evening, 22 January 2025, in order to represent Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Mother Church of Constantinople at the anniversary celebrations for the completion of twenty years since the consecration of the Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas in the Cuban capital of Havana, and its bestowal by the then leader of the country, Fidel Castro, to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Upon his arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport, Archbishop Makarios was welcomed by the local Shepherd, His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, who was accompanied by Bishop Athenagoras of Myrina, the representative of the Government of Cuba, Ms. Leira Sánchez Valdivia, the Ambassador of Greece in Havana, His Excellency Mr. Theodoros Tsakiris, representative of the Greek State, as well as other officials from the State Protocol and the Airport Directorate.
A brief, cordial conversation followed in the Airport’s reception hall, during which Archbishop Makarios commemorated the historic visit of the Primate of Orthodoxy to Cuba in 2004, following an official invitation from its late leader Fidel Castro, and conveyed to Ms. Leira Sánchez Valdivia the appreciation of the Mother Church and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew personally, for the unwavering care and support of the Cuban Government towards the Orthodox flock of the country.
