CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA January 19, 1998 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from RadioHavana Cuba's English language service for Monday, January 19, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- PREPARATIONS CONTINUE FOR THE POPE'S VISIT TO CUBA 2.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA EULOGIZES OUTSTANDING CUBAN FIGHTER CONCHITA FERNANDEZ 3.- RADIO HAVANA CUBA JOURNALIST ORLANDO CASTELLANOS DIES IN HAVANA 4.- HAVANA WILL HOST ENCOUNTER ON SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LITERATURE 5.- GARDEN HONORING PRINCESS DIANA IS INAUGURATED IN HAVANA 6.- CUBA WILL HOST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON GEOLOGY IN MARCH PREPARATIONS CONTINE FOR THE POPE'S VISIT TO CUBA Havana, January 19(RHC)-- Preparations for the visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II continued Monday in Havana and other cities the Pope will visit during his five-day stay. Finishing touches were put on the plazas where the head of the Catholic Church will deliver masses later this week. Here in the Cuban capital, journalists and sight-seers alike took note of a huge mural depicting Jesus Christ, covering the facade of the "Jose Marti" National Library in Revolution Square. Pope John Paul II will deliver mass in the square in Havana -- also known as the Plaza de la Revolucion -- next Sunday, before returning to Rome. During his pastoral visit, which begins on Wednesday, Pope John Paul II will travel to Santa Clara, Camaguey and Santiago de Cuba. Also within the framework of preparations for the visit, the Press Center at the Havana Libre Hotel held two major news conferences on Monday. In the morning, Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez spoke to journalists about the island's economic situation. The afternoon featured a news conference by Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega, Archbishop of Havana. Cardinal Ortega highlighted the strictly pastoral character of Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba. Hundreds of journalists from around the world began filing reports from the Cuban capital over the weekend. A number of radio and television networks will be feeding their reports live from Cuba during the Pope's upcoming visit -- now set to begin in less than 48 hours. CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA EULOGIZES OUTSTANDING CUBAN FIGHTER CONCHITA FERNANDEZ Havana, January 19(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina delivered the eulogy for outstanding Cuban fighter Conchita Fernandez, who died in Havana at the age of 85. Conchita's life was dedicated to work in favor of the Cuban Revolution. During his eulogy, Robaina said that Conchita began to work with Cuban intellectual Fernando Ortiz at the age of 16. Later, she joined her efforts with Communist leaders Pablo de la Torriente Brau and Ruben Martinez Villena, and then gave her direct and consistent support to the Rebel Army and its leader, Fidel Castro. Robaina also said that the revolutionary combatant deserves a monument for her virtues and for her loyalty to Cuba's most noble causes, for which she worked until her death. RADIO HAVANA CUBA JOURNALIST ORLANDO CASTELLANOS DIES IN HAVANA Havana, January 19(RHC)-- Renowned Cuban journalist Orlando Castellanos -- one of the founders of Radio Havana Cuba -- has died in Havana from cancer at the age of 68. Castellanos dedicated most of his life to work in radio. He was a prominent interviewer and collected dozens of interviews with the most important personalities of Cuban culture. During his fruitful life, Orlando Castellanos won numerous prizes in contests, he was a juror of the Casa de las Americas Literary Award and in 1994, he received the Jose Marti National Prize -- the highest distinction for a Cuban journalist. The work of this unforgettable colleague will be extremely valuable for the formation of future journalists on the island. HAVANA WILL HOST ENCOUNTER ON SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LITERATURE Havana, January 19(RHC)-- The Cuban capital will host an encounter on social and political literature of the 1990's on February 2nd and 3rd. The meeting will be attended by renowned authors and editors in the field. Among them: U.S. specialist Mary Alice Waters, who will discuss the work of the Pathfinder Publishing House in the United States, and Heinz Dietrich Stefan, President of the Forum on the Emancipation and Identity of Latin America. GARDEN HONORING PRINCESS DIANA IS INAUGURATED IN HAVANA Havana, January 19(RHC)-- Sculptures by Cuban artists Alfredo Sosabravo and Juan Quintanilla decorate a garden opened in Old Havana on Saturday to pay tribute to the late Princess Diana of Wales. The garden is located in a public park on Port Avenue. During the opening ceremony, City Historian Eusebio Leal highlighted Lady Diana's humanitarian work, especially in favor of the sick and victims of war. Also present at the ceremony was Britain's Ambassador to Havana, Phillip McLean, who said this gesture "is special and noble -- an offering of generosity, respect, love, and friendship." The initiative to build the garden came from the office of the Havana City Historian, who obtained permission from Diana's family. A car accident in Paris on August 31st, 1997 took the life of the 36-year-old Princess, popularly known as "Lady Di." CUBA WILL HOST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON GEOLOGY IN MARCH Havana, January 19(RHC)-- Researchers from the most diverse regions of the world will debate issues related to the challenges for geology during the 4th International Workshop on Informatics applied to Geosciences. Geoinfo '98 and the 1st Cuban Symposium on Geology and Mining Applied to Construction will take place in Havana from March 24th thorugh the 27th. Besides conferences, workshops and round tables, organizers have included visits to places of interest in Pinar del Rio, Havana, and Matanzas provinces. [c] 1997. Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 814243 Fax: (53) (7) 812927 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org