Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, Archbishop of San Cristóbal de la Habana, is a Cuban prelate known for his outreach to the poor, other social justice initiatives, missionary spirit, and innovative approach to catechesis.

Born on July 11, 1948, in Camagüey, Cuba, to a modest family, the first of six children, García Rodríguez was still an adolescent when he entered the San Basilio Magno seminary in El Cobre. For a year he attended the El Buen Pastor seminary in Havana and then completed his theological formation in the San Carlos y San Ambrosio seminary, again in the capital.

He was part of the first group of Cuban priests to complete their entire priestly formation within Cuba and was ordained as a priest on January 25, 1972.

Garcia Rodriguez began his ministry in parishes that are now part of the Ciego de Ávila Diocese. His early years in the priesthood were marked by his dedication to evangelization, often going from house to house to distribute leaflets reaffirming Christian principles, despite the restrictions imposed by the Castro regime.

In the mid-1990s, he co-wrote a popular devotionary, Los cubanos rezamos a Dios (Cubans Pray to God), as well as founded and headed the Escuela para Misioneros de la Diócesis (School for Missionaries of the Diocese).

In 1997, he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Camagüey, and in 2002, he became the Archbishop of Camagüey. During his tenure in Camagüey, he initiated several notable projects, including the revitalization of the San Agustín seminary and the development of numerous works serving the poorest members of society.

One of García Rodríguez’s most significant achievements has been his innovative approach to catechesis in Cuba. He developed evangelization programs that enlisted grandparents, who still remembered their Catholic education from childhood, to teach the principles of Catholicism to their grandchildren. This approach proved effective in a society where religious practice had been discouraged for decades.

In 2016, Pope Francis appointed García Rodríguez as the Archbishop of Havana, succeeding Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino. His appointment was notable enough to be reported in Granma, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba.

García Rodríguez has held several important positions within the Cuban Catholic Church. He served as the president of the Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2006 to 2010, and represented Cuba at the fifth general assembly of Latin American and Caribbean bishops in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007.

On October 5, 2019, Pope Francis elevated García Rodríguez to the rank of cardinal.

Throughout his career, García Rodríguez has been known for his humble nature, missionary spirit, and commitment to social justice. He has worked to establish prison ministries and has been actively involved in helping Cubans during times of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Cardinal García Rodríguez was personally chosen by Pope Francis to take part in the 2023 and 2024 assemblies of the Synod on Synodality. At the 2023 assembly, he said of his experience: “We have felt the passage of the Holy Spirit in this process of continuity thanks to Pope Francis.”