Pope welcomes Raul Castro at Vatican ahead of trip to Cuba

Pope welcomes Raul Castro at Vatican ahead of trip to Cuba
By FRANCES D'EMILIO Associated Press

Cuban President Raul Castro was warmly greeted at the Vatican Sunday by
Pope Francis, who played a key role in the breakthrough between
Washington and Havana aimed at restoring U.S.-Cuban diplomatic ties.

"Bienvenido!" Francis said in his native Spanish, welcoming Castro in a
studio near the Vatican public audience hall. The Cuban president,
bowing his head, gripped Francis' hand with both of his, and the two men
began their private talks.


Pope Francis meets Cuban President Raul Castro during a private audience
at the Vatican, Sunday, May 10, 2015. Cuban President Raul Castro has
been welcomed at the Vatican by Pope Francis, who played a key role in
the breakthrough between Washington and Havana aimed at restoring
U.S.-Cuban diplomatic ties. | GREGORIO BORGIA, POOL AP PHOTO
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The meeting lasted nearly an hour, a generous amount of time by Vatican
standards, especially considering that the Argentine-born Francis and
Castro spoke in Spanish, without the need of interpreters that often use
up time in other papal-VIP talks.

Castro had already publicly thanked Francis for his role in bringing
Havana and Washington closer together after decades of U.S. government
policy of strict isolation of the Communist-ruled Caribbean island.

He apparently did so again during the closed-door meeting.

As he took his leave, Castro told journalists, "I thanked the pope for
what he did."

Francis was in an upbeat mood, too. "I ruined your Sunday," the pope
quipped to journalists after the meeting.

He gave Castro a medal depicting St. Martin of Tours, known for caring
for the destitute.

"With his mantle he covers the poor," Francis told Castro, saying more
efforts on behalf of the poor are needed.

The pope will stop in Cuba in September for a visit, part of a
pilgrimage that will then take him to Washington, Philadelphia and New York.

Castro's brother, Fidel, the Cuban revolutionary leader who ruled for
decades before Raul, met with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1996.
That Vatican encounter helped pave the way for John Paul's 1998
pilgrimage to Cuba, the first visit by a pontiff to the island.

With the Vatican keen on protecting its Catholic followers in Cuba,
Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI also visited the island.

Source: Pope welcomes Raul Castro at Vatican ahead of trip to Cuba |
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