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Guest Research Seminar

17:30, Thursday 26 November 2015

On Thursday 26 November Dr Petra Kuivala (University of Helsinki) will give a talk entitled "Pastoral or political? Pope Francis’s Cuban Visit (September 19-22, 2015)”. The talk will take place at 17.30pm in the Rushmore room and all are warmly invited to attend.

Dr Kuivala is a junior researcher and lecturer of theology at the University of Helsinki. Finalnd. Her doctoral dissertation of general church history analysed the self-understanding and role of the Catholic Church in Cuban communist society, and in September 2015 was invited by the Catholic Church to witness, monitor, and accompany Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba. In this talk she will discuss the impact the papal visit had on communist Cuban society, the Cuban Catholic Church, international relations between the island nation and the rest of the world, and how this visit complemented Pope Francis’ core message to Catholics world wide.

Abstract
The four days of Pope Francis in Cuba were charged with a spectrum of expectations, reactions and emotions. Having played a key role in the most recent stage of the Cuban transition --the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States-- Pope Francis was expected to arrive in Cuba with a political message. At the same time, the Catholic Church in Cuba was hoping for the Pope to deliver a powerful spiritual message for Cubans considering themselves catholic, communist or something in between. At the end of the visit, the questions arose: what had been the purpose of the papal visit and how was Francis's message received and interpreted in Cuba?

Add to Calendar November 26, 2015, 5:30 pm November 26, 2015, 5:30 pm Europe/London Guest Research Seminar