Four young people, a Bishop and a Priest will make the pilgrimage from Cuba to WYD08 thanks to the support of Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). 

The Catholic Church in Cuba has been fighting for its survival since Fidel Castro became Prime Minister and imposed a communist regime in 1959. Since then, the numbers of Catholic faithful have diminished, and it is estimated that 3- 6% of the island's inhabitants are practising Catholics.

As the Catholic Church in Cuba is isolated, WYD08 is an exciting opportunity for Cubans to be able to have contact and make living exchanges with other local churches.

Consequently, the Auxiliary Bishop Juan de Dios Hernandez Ruiz SJ of Havana and secretary general of the Cuban bishops' conference have asked for financial support.

Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need, have stepped in and made a hefty financial contribution of $8,140 to help bring the Cuban youth delegation to WYD08.

The last time many Cubans had a realistic chance of meeting the Pontiff was in 1998 when Pope John Paul II visited Cuba.

Ten years on, four pilgrims form the youth delegation that will represent Cuba at WYD08 with an accompanying priest and bishop.

"Bishops in Cuba believe that endemic social problems such as abortion, prostitution and the disintegration of families can only be solved with the 'transformation of hearts'," Phillip Collignon, director of Aid to a Church in Need Australia says.

“In Cuba today the formation of young lay leaders, is a priority for the Church,” he says.   

“There is a high rate of participation by young people in Church life and many other people are rediscovering their Catholic roots,” says Mr. Collingon.

To support the Cuban contingent, Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need has promised $8,140 to make sure all four young pilgrims of the delegation get to Sydney.

"To support the Youth delegation travelling from Cuba to WYD Sydney is one way to assist this hard but hopeful work of the Church."

To support ACN in its ambition to help the Cuban delegation come to WYD, send your donation to the Sydney office of Aid to a Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 or ring +61 2 9679 1929 with your credit card donation. You can also email Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist gegen Spam Bots geschützt, Sie müssen JavaScript aktivieren, damit Sie es sehen können or visit www.aidtochurch.org