Ahead of his first visit to the United States, Pope Francis stopped in Cuba.
Advertisement
Afterwards, in a discussion with young people at a cultural center in Havana, the pope ditched his prepared comments, urging the group to “dream big” and to beware of rigid ideologies that stifle communication.
“Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people”, the pope said, his words echoing across a square long associated with the older Castro’s burning oratory during the early years of his Marxist revolution.
In addition, he said, the Pope brought a book and two CDs of homilies by Jesuit Father Armando Llorente, who had been one of Castro’s teachers in high school in Belen, Cuba.
A priest places a skullcap on Pope Francis during Mass at Revolution Plaza in Havana, Cuba, Sunday September 20, 2015.
Pope Francis met with former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro on Sunday, according to Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.
“I hope the Pope can really make a difference in Raúl Castro’s life – and he can change a little bit of him”, said Cuban exile Cary Cámara, who came to the U.S.as a child to escape the Castro revolution.
Cuba’s flag is seen as Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass in Revolution Square in Havana September 20.
There, Pope Francis and Fidel chatted, and visited with Fidel’s wife, their kids and grandchildren. Speaking off the cuff for the first time on his visit, the bishop of Rome remarked on the importance of poverty to the Catholic Church, and warned of the dangers of falling victim to the temptations of wealth.
Civil rights activists told Reuters news agency that police had rounded up dozens of dissidents to stop them attending papal events.
Four dissidents opposed to Cuba’s communist regime were arrested when they tried approaching Pope Francis in Havana on Sunday, an activist group reported.
Arriving on Saturday, Pope Francis exhorted Cuba and the United States to deepen their détente, and encouraged Cuba to grant more freedom to the Roman Catholic Church, which has re-emerged as a powerful force after suffering decades of repression.
Advertisement
Francis calls the negotiations that led to the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington “an example of reconciliation for the entire world“. Later, he was to head to Santiago on Cuba’s eastern end before flying to Washington on Tuesday for the US leg of his two-nation trip to the former Cold War foes.
