Pope Benedict XVI Says Mass in Cuba (Photos)
In the second-ever papal visit to the island nation, Pope Benedict XVI says mass in Santiago de Cuba, hometown of the Castro brothers.
Rodrigo Arangua / AFP / Getty Images
Castro and the pope—what a pair. Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba this week marks the first time the communist nation has been visited by the leader of the Catholic Church in 14 years. The pontiff’s first stop was in the city of Santiago de Cuba, hometown of leaders Raul and Fidel Castro and repository of an icon bearing the image of the Virgin of Charity, the island’s patron saint. Speaking in the city, the pope called for a “renewed and open” Cuban society. No word yet on the rumors that Fidel will convert to Catholicism during the visit.
Rodrigo Arangua / AFP / Getty Images
An honor guard salutes Pope Benedict XVI upon his arrival in Santiago de Cuba. March 26, 2012.
Gregorio Borgia / AP Photo
Fourteen years after Pope John Paul II visited Cuba, Pope Benedict XVI arrives for a three-day visit. It’s the pontiff’s first trip to the communist country.
Sven Creutzmann / Mambo Photo / Getty Images
Cuban President Raul Castro and the pope shake hands with a Cuban bishop.
Sven Creutzmann / Mambo Photo / Getty Images
The pope celebrated a mass in Santiago de Cuba’s main square for Cuban faithful. The city southeast of Havana was the Holy Father’s first stop on a trip planned to foster better relations with the communist regime.
Rodrigo Arangua / AFP / Getty Images
Cuban dissidents said that more than 150 people were arrested in an attempt to squelch demonstrations prior to the pope’s public mass.
Rodrigo Arangua / AFP / Getty Images
Pope Benedict celebrated mass on the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the image of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, a depiction of the island nation’s patron saint.
Alberto Pizzoli / AFP / Getty Images
People wave the flags of Cuba and the Holy See as Pope Benedict XVI passes through Santiago de Cuba.
Desmond Boyland / AFP / Getty Images
People wait as the pontiff is driven through Santiago de Cuba. Benedict stopped in Cuba after a three-day trip through Mexico.
Desmond Boylan / AFP / Getty Images
The pope at his mass in Santiago de Cuba.
Esteban Felix / AP Photo
About 10 percent of Cubans regularly attend mass.
Alberto Pizzoli / AFP / Getty Images
The 84-year-old bishop of Rome celebrated the mass in a light rain and said he hoped Cuba would see a time of expanded freedoms.
Alberto Pizzoli / AFP / Getty Images
Santiago de Cuba, where the pope celebrated his mass Monday, is the hometown of the Castro family.
Rodrigo Arangua / AFP / Getty Images
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