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On 7 May 2016, Cardinal Jaime Ortega conducts Mass at the Cathedral of Havana, Cuba. REUTERS / Alexandre Meneghini

Cardinal Ortega died this Friday, July 26 in Cuba. Artisan of the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba at the time of Barack Obama and Raul Castro, the head of the Cuban Catholic Church had left office in 2016. He died in Havana at the age of 82 after 35 years at the head of the Cuban archdiocese.

With our correspondent in Havana, Domitille Piron

Originally from the west of the island, Jaime Ortega studies at Matanzas and Quebec City Seminary. Ordained a priest in 1964, he was interned in a labor camp two years later, at a time when the Catholic Church was considered to be opposed to the Castroite revolution.

In 1981, at only 45 years old, Jaime Ortega became archbishop of Havana, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal by John Paul II in 1994.

It was not until the 1990s that relations between Cuba and the Holy See subsided thanks to the cardinal's cautious leadership.

Despite criticism of dissent, Cardinal Ortega often served as an intermediary between the government and the political opposition, without taking sides. Considered a man of consensus, Jaime Ortega was the messenger of the pope during negotiations on the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States.

For Cuba, and for Cuban Catholics, the death of the cardinal this Friday morning is a great loss, many remember him as a father, a very sweet person, human, close to his followers. The government praised his tireless work and his love for Cuba.

► See also: Pope Francis arrived in Cuba