Reverend Pablo Odén Marichal Passed Away in La Habana

May 5, 2021

On Monday, May 3rd, Reverend Pablo Odén Marichal Rodríguez passed away at the age of 81, a distinguished ecumenical leader since his youth and retired pastor of the Episcopal Church of Cuba.

He developed an ecumenical vocation of total dedication and honesty, holding various responsibilities in religious organizations such as the Christian Student Movement, the Christian Conference of the Caribbean, and the Council of Churches of Cuba.

He was President of the latter from 1996 to 2000, a period in which he carried out countless actions for Elián's return to the Homeland, defending not only the dignity of a child and his family, but also that of an entire people. In 1999, with the motto "Love, Peace, Unity," he organized the First Cuban Evangelical Celebration.

At the same time, he taught several generations of students as a professor at the Evangelical Seminary of Matanzas. He was a promoter of dialogue among all religions based on respect for diversity, being the first coordinator of the Cuban Interreligious Platform, from which he organized concrete activities for the return, together with their families and people, of our Five Heroes, all of this with total coherence between his religious faith and his revolutionary commitment.

Marichal Rodríguez was a deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power from 1998 to the present legislature, fulfilling various missions in the Commission on International Relations. As a deputy, he chaired the Parliamentary Friendship Group Cuba-Great Britain and was part of delegations on visits to several countries.

He was present at all the meetings that, since 1984, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro held with ecumenical leaders and leaders of the Protestant and evangelical church sector.

For his immense work in favor of the unity of our people and his genuine ecumenical practice, he received several recognitions.