Pope Francis Arrives In Cuba With Message Of Reconciliation

A woman holds up a banner of Pope Francis as she waits for his arrival outside the Apostolic Nunciature in Havana, Cuba, Saturday.

Alessandra Tarantino / AP

Pope Francis began his trip to Cuba on Saturday by praising the normalization of relations with its former Cold War foe, the United States, calling it an example to the rest of the world.

"The world needs reconciliation," Francis said in his first remarks in the Caribbean nation, calling the U.S.-Cuba diplomatic efforts as an example of "for all the world."

Ramon Espinosa / AP

Francis, the first Latin American pope, played a key role as the U.S. and Cuba worked to restore diplomatic relations for the first time in more than 50 years.

The trip, part of a 10-day tour of Cuba and the United States, kicked off in Havana with a red carpet arrival for pope as he stepped off a jet and onto the tarmac, where he met with Cuban President Raul Castro.

"For some months now, we've been witnessing an event that fills us up with hope," he said in remarks at the airport. "The process of normalizing relations between two peoples after many years of estrangement. It is a sign of progress."

Castro also thanked the pope's role in the effort, and praised the pontiff's critiques of the world's economic system that has "turned money into its idol."

The pope received a warm welcome in the island nation, where the Cuban government offered a day's pay, snacks, and transportation to state workers who gathered on the pontiff's route, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier this year, the U.S. and Cuba re-opened embassies and the U.S. has eased travel restrictions, but the Vatican secretary of state told the AP the pope hopes the U.S. enforced embargo will also soon be removed.

A nun waits with others for Pope Francis to arrive outside the Apostolic Nunciature in Havana, Cuba, on Saturday.

Alessandra Tarantino / AP

In a teleconference at the beginning of his trip, in which he was asked by students in Havana and New York about the U.S. embargo, Francis said he would "do everything possible to build bridges, to remove barriers, and to foster communication."

Vatican officials said, however, that the 10-day trip is a pastoral, not political, mission.

Francis is scheduled to say mass at Revolution Square in Havana on Sunday, and meet with government officials at the Palace of the Revolution.

He is also scheduled to visit Holguin and Santiago on Monday, where he will meet with bishops of the Church.

Finally, Francis plans to celebrate a final mass at Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity del Cobre on Tuesday before leaving for Washington D.C.

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