Religious and political leaders insisted that, despite differences of opinion, the devotion for the virgin and the desire to bring freedom to Cuba unite Cubans in exile.
Police estimated that 10,000 people showed up at Hialeah Park to praise the virgin and hear the homily delivered by Monsignor Agustin Roman, auxiliary bishop in charge of the Ermita de la Caridad, the church at 3609 S. Miami Ave.
The statue of the virgin was flown in by helicopter from the church to the racetrack at 6:45 p.m. Escorting it were Bishops Thomas Wenski and Gilberto Fernandez, and Archbishop emeritus Edward McCarthy.
In the stands, the faithful sang and waved Cuban flags.
The small statue was removed secretly from Cuba in September 1961 through the Italian Embassy. Previously, it was kept at a church in the coastal town of Guanabo, east of Havana.
Pope Benedict XV proclaimed the Virgin of Charity as Cuba's patron saint in 1916.
Fernandez acknowledged that many Cubans in the United States are offended by the idea of a cruise ship carrying Catholics to Havana on Jan. 24-25 to attend the visit of Pope John Paul II.
``It's understandable, because our people have suffered much,'' he said. ``But there's always time to establish a dialogue between brothers. We must emphasize the positive.''
Roman, who has stated that he will not travel to the island in January, said that ``we are not divided, because we all love the virgin.''
``We are all children of the same church,'' Wenski said. ``What binds us together is stronger than what separates us.''
Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald