On January 25, 2004, the late leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, symbolically handed the keys of the Church of St. Nicholas, located in the heart of Havana, to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. That historic day marked the consecration of the Orthodox Church, built and gifted to the Orthodox Church by the Cuban people under their iconic leader.
This was preceded by a grand reception for the Patriarch, who was welcomed with the honors befitting a Head of State as the first Orthodox Primate to visit the Caribbean nation. Fidel Castro personally greeted him at Havana airport, and throughout the Patriarch’s five-day visit, demonstrated profound respect and appreciation for his distinguished guest. Notably, during the church’s consecration ceremony, Castro appeared in a suit and tie, one of the rare instances in his long tenure that he appeared publicly without his official military attire. He also expressed keen interest in Orthodox monasticism and even expressed a desire to visit Mount Athos. His words to the Ecumenical Patriarch were telling: “Ideas are born in monasteries and places of spiritual reflection, not in the streets.”
At the conclusion of the Patriarch’s visit, when receiving thanks from then-Metropolitan of Panama (and later of Mexico), Athenagoras, Castro replied, “I thank you for bringing Orthodoxy to Cuba.”
Official celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of this historic event are currently underway in Havana, with Archbishop Makarios of Australia representing the Mother Church and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Archbishop arrived in Havana on the evening of Wednesday, January 22, and on the morning of January 23, he inaugurated the commemorative events at the Church of St. Nicholas. He was welcomed by Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, joined by Bishops Athenagoras of Myrina and Timotheos of Assos. Among the distinguished attendees was Alex Castro Soto del Valle, the son of Fidel Castro. Greek Ambassador to Havana, Theodoros Tsakiris, along with senior state officials such as Lisset Gonzales, Perla Rosales, Emilio Lozada, Eloísa Valdés Pérez, and Leira Sánchez Valdivia, were also present, as well as Jesús Otamendi, Deputy Governor of Havana Province, and Bishop Eloy Ricardo Domínguez, representative of the Vatican Nuncio.
In his address, Archbishop Makarios described the establishment of the Church of St. Nicholas as both a “milestone and a landmark for the history and testimony of the Orthodox Church throughout Latin America, as well as for the blessed nation of Cuba itself.” He emphasized that “Orthodoxy always conveys to peoples the hopeful message of love, peace, justice, reconciliation, and mutual indwelling.” He added, “This is the message I bring today with deep emotion on behalf of our Ecumenical Patriarch, the timeless message of the Phanar to the world.”
The Archbishop devoted a significant part of his speech to two figures closely associated with the establishment and development of the Orthodox Church in Havana’s historic center: the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Referring to the Patriarch as the “Apostle of the World,” he remarked, “He is the ecclesiastical and spiritual leader who revealed to the world the other face of the Orthodox Church—a Church that dialogues with every person of goodwill, that does not reject otherness and diversity, that has no phobias, that speaks of peace rather than so-called ‘holy’ war, that loves humankind indiscriminately, that always presents Christ and does not terrify with the Antichrist.”
He continued, “It was precisely this universal and peaceful perspective of the Orthodox Church, combined with the personal charisma of Patriarch Bartholomew, that resonated with the free and unyielding spirit and vision of the late President Fidel Castro, opening the doors for Orthodoxy in Cuba.”
Concluding his address, Archbishop Makarios expressed gratitude on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to Metropolitan Athenagoras of Bizye, who had labored for many years for the progress of the local Church. “But his labor was not in vain,” he noted, “as his dear brother and successor, Metropolitan Iakovos, with his many talents, youthful enthusiasm, and spontaneity, has breathed new life into the Holy Metropolis of Mexico, particularly in Cuba.” He added, “His ministry fills us with optimism and hope for the future and the continued growth of the Church.”
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
