Date set for second ever papal visit to Cuba

CUBA: Pope Benedict XVI will begin only the second ever papal visit to Cuba on March 26, Catholic officials said Sunday, eying a chance to strengthen dialogue between the Church and Cuba's communist leaders.

The three-day visit, which will follow a brief stop-over in staunchly Roman Catholic Mexico, has been known about for some time but the dates and itinerary were only published on Sunday by the conference of Cuban bishops.

President Raul Castro and senior clergy will welcome the pontiff before he presides over a mass in the second city of Santiago de Cuba on March 27 in honor of the 400th anniversary of Cuba's patron saint, Our Lady of Charity.

The highlight will be a mass on the final day, March 28, in Havana's Revolution Square, the same venue where the pope's predecessor, John Paul II, gave an historic address on the first papal visit here in 1998.

In a recent statement, the conference of Cuban bishops underscored the significance of the papal visit, particularly in spurring reconciliation among Cubans. During his landmark trip, John Paul II urged the Castro regime to open up, saying the world would return the favor.

Catholics today make up a little over 10 percent of the Cuban population, with the vast majority practicing Santeria, a fusion of west African religious beliefs, native Indian traditions and aspects of Catholicism.

Havana, Monday, AFP