Archdiocese of Miami's Pilgrimage to Cuba

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski will be making a pilgrimage to Cuba for Pope Benedict XVI's trip to the island scheduled for late March, the Archdiocese said in a statement Thursday.

Benedict's trip, scheduled for March 26-28, will be the first by a pope since John Paul II's visit in 1998. It comes as Cuban Catholics celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the statue of the Virgin of Charity, patroness of Cuba.

[Video and story courtesy of NBC 6 Miami]

[Excerpt from the official statement by Archbishop Thomas Wenski from the Archdiocese of Miami]

"Why are we going? The Cuban bishops have said: 'The Cuban people are one – wherever they are'. The Pope is traveling to Cuba to honor Cuba’s patron saint, Our Lady of Charity, during the jubilee year of the 400th anniversary of her presence on the island nation. We travel in solidarity with the Church in Cuba – and in response to their invitation to share with them this historic event."