黑料社

HAVANA 鈥� Pope Francis met with Fidel Castro on Sunday after urging thousands of Cubans to serve one another and not an ideology, delivering a subtle jab at the communist system during a Mass celebrated under the gaze of an image of Che Guevara in Havana鈥檚 iconic Revolution Plaza.

The Vatican described the 40-minute meeting at Castro鈥檚 residence as informal and familial, with an exchange of books and discussion about big issues facing humanity, including Francis鈥� recent encyclical on the environment and the global economic system.

Unlike the 2012 visit of Benedict XVI, when Castro peppered the German theologian with questions, the meeting with Francis was more of a conversation, papal spokesman the Rev. Frederico Lombardi said.

A photo provided by Alex Castro, Fidel鈥檚 son and official photographer, showed the 89-year-old former president and Francis looking into each other鈥檚 eye as they shook hands, the pope in his white vestments and Castro in a white button-down shirt and Adidas sweat top. Castro appeared to be gripping another, unidentified man for support.

Francis called on Castro after celebrating Mass in Havana鈥檚 main plaza on his first full day in Cuba. Believers and non-believers alike streamed into the square before dawn, and they erupted in cheers when history鈥檚 first Latin American pope spun through the crowd in his open-sided popemobile. Francis didn鈥檛 disappoint, winding his way slowly through the masses and stopping to kiss children held up to him.

While most Cubans are nominally Catholic, fewer than 10 percent practice their faith and Cuba is the least Catholic country in Latin America. The crowd was not as big as when St. John Paul II became the first pope to visit the island in 1998, but it drew people who seemed to genuinely want to be there and listen to Francis鈥� message.

鈥淭his is very important for us,鈥� said Mauren Gomez, 40, who traveled some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Villa Clara to Havana by bus, spending her time reciting the Rosary.

In his homily delivered under the gaze of a metal portrait of revolutionary fighter Che Guevara, Francis urged Cubans to care for one another out of a sense of service, not ideology. He encouraged them to refrain from judging each other by 鈥渓ooking to one side or the other to see what our neighbor is doing or not doing.鈥�

鈥淲hoever wishes to be great must serve others, not be served by others,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ervice is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people.鈥�

Many Cubans complain about the rigidity of Cuba鈥檚 system in which nearly every aspect of life is controlled by the government, from cultural institutions to block-level neighborhood watch committees. While the system has softened in recent years, Cubans can be excluded or lose benefits if they are perceived as being disloyal or unfaithful to the principles of the revolution.

Cubans are also increasingly concerned about growing inequality on the communist island, in which those with access to foreign capital live lives of relative luxury while others can barely feed themselves, generating jealousy and division within families and society at large.

鈥淏eing a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it,鈥� Francis told the crowd. 鈥淭hat is why Christians are constantly called to set aside their own wishes and desires, their pursuit of power, and to look instead to those who are most vulnerable.鈥�

Maria Regla Gonz谩lez, a 57-year-old teacher, said she appreciated Francis鈥� message of reconciliation and unity for all Cubans, and said Francis was particularly able to convey it given he is Latin American and speaks their language.

鈥淭his is a crucial moment, and the pope鈥檚 support for us is very important,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e made a call for unity, and that鈥檚 what we want.鈥�

Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said Francis鈥� meeting with Castro was low-key and involved an exchange of views about big issues facing the world.

Francis brought Fidel three books: Two by an Italian priest, Alessandro Pronzato, and a book of sermons by Fidel鈥檚 former teacher, the Rev. Amando Llorente. Llorente taught at Colegio de Belen, a Jesuit high school where Fidel was a student. Llorente, a Spaniard, was forced out of the country after Castro鈥檚 revolution and died in Miami in 2010.

Francis also brought two compact discs with Llorente鈥檚 voice, as well as copies of his papal encyclical 鈥淧raise Be鈥� and previous document, 鈥淭he Joy of the Gospel.鈥� Castro gave the pope a book of his musings on religion, written with the Brazilian cleric Frei Betto.

Austen Invereigh, author of 鈥淭he Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope,鈥� says he thinks the pope is sending a subtle message to Fidel, whose rule was marked by conflict with the Catholic Church and other groups.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 help but think that it鈥檚 Pope Francis inviting Fidel Castro to come to terms with his past,鈥� Ivereigh said. 鈥淭here is clearly a lot of pain in this relationship,鈥� with Llorente.

Francis was finishing the day with a meeting with Fidel鈥檚 brother Raul, an evening vespers service in the San Cristobal Cathedral and a meeting with Cuban young people.

In an important aside, Francis ended Sunday鈥檚 Mass with an appeal for Colombia鈥檚 government and rebels, who have been holding peace talks in Havana for over two years, to put an end to South America鈥檚 longest-running armed conflict.

鈥淧lease, we do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure on this path of peace and reconciliation,鈥� he said.

The appeal followed the historic call he issued to President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro to end their half-century of estrangement that resulted in the restoration of diplomatic relations this summer. Since then, the two leaders have reopened embassies in each other鈥檚 countries, held a personal meeting, had at least two phone calls and launched a process aimed at normalizing ties in fields ranging from trade to tourism to telecommunications.

Jose Rafael Velazquez, a 54-year-old worker, arrived with his wife at the plaza three hours before Mass began. He said he wasn鈥檛 religious, but came more out of curiosity to witness a historic event.

鈥淲e also are very hopeful for this visit, because the pope was key in the deal with the United States,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ver since the announcement, there have been changes and this visit gives me more hope that it鈥檒l get better.鈥�

The Vatican has long opposed the U.S. trade embargo on the grounds that it hurts ordinary Cubans most, and is clearly hopeful that detente will eventually lead to a lifting of sanctions.

But only the U.S. Congress can remove the embargo. Francis will visit Congress next week at the start of the U.S. leg of his trip, but it鈥檚 not known if he will raise the issue there.

Cecilia Villalejo, a 69-year-old retiree, was nearly brought to tears with the final hymn of the Mass, saying the Cuban people desperately need a message of hope to have the strength to carry on.

鈥淚 feel very sad. I鈥檝e got all my family in the United States, especially my son whom I haven鈥檛 seen for 15 years,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 sad because in reality, I don鈥檛 think much will come of all this.鈥� TVJ

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