Pope holds ‘friendly’ talks with Castros
the time was officially atheist.
Francis later went to the Palace of the Revolution, where he held private talks for about an hour with President Raul Castro, Fidel’s 84-year-old younger brother.
Raul Castro, an atheist like his brother, surprised the pope by giving him a sculpture of a life-sized crucified Jesus against a backdrop of fishing nets and oars.
Francis met with Fidel Castro after celebrating Mass in Havana’s Revolution Square. There, he spoke beneath massive portraits of revolutionary leaders Ernesto ‘‘Che’’ Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.
To welcome the pope, who helped bring about the recent rapprochement between Cuba and the US, a similarly giant poster of Jesus was hung nearby.
Francis delivered a mostly religious homily to the tens of thousands present, but sprinkled it with criticism of ‘‘elitism’’ and ideology.
Cuban police kept some dissidents from attending the Mass and pounced on others apparently attempting to hand out flyers near the plaza.
Francis also appeared to appeal to Cubans to look after each other as the country faces social changes and new economic opportunities.
He said they should continue to be ‘‘at the service of the frailty of your brothers and sisters’’ and ‘‘not neglect them for plans which can be seductive but are unconcerned about the face of the person beside you’’.
Between 30 and 40 dissidents were detained to stop them attending papal events, a dissident human rights group said.
Francis exhorted Cuba and the US to deepen their detente, and encouraged Cuba to grant more freedom to the Catholic Church, which has re-emerged as a powerful force after suffering decades of repression.
‘‘His visit is cause for hope in our aspirations for improvement,’’ said biologist Benito Espinoza, 41, at Revolution Square. ‘‘We are an optimistic people, but we have suffered for many years.’’
Francis will fly from Cuba to Washington tomorrow.