Pope Francis meets Fidel Castro, celebrates mass in Cuba

PanARMENIAN.Net - Pope Francis met Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Sunday, September 20, hours after warning Cubans to beware the dangers of ideology and the lure of selfishness as their country enters a new era of closer ties with the United States, Reuters reports.

Latin America's first pope and Castro, the region's last surviving leftist icon of the 20th century, discussed religion and world affairs at the home of the 89-year-old retired president for about 40 minutes.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the meeting, which included Castro's wife and other family members, was "very relaxed, fraternal and friendly."

Francis, 78, gave Castro several of his official papal writings, two books on spirituality and a book and CD on the writings of Father Armando Llorente, a priest who taught Castro in Jesuit prep school more than 70 years ago.

Castro gave him a copy of "Fidel and Religion," a 1985 book of interviews with a Brazilian priest which lifted a taboo on speaking about religion in Cuba, then officially atheist.

Pope Francis visit is aimed at further improving ties between the government and the Roman Catholic Church and encouraging a more open society in Cuba.

Celebrating Mass before tens of thousands of people in Havana's Revolution Square on Sunday morning, Francis sprinkled his mainly religious homily with criticism of "elitism" and ideology.

"Service is never ideological for we do not serve ideas, we serve people," he said at the Mass, attended by Raul Castro and top members of the Communist government.

Later on Sunday, the pope held a rally with young people and met with priests and nuns, putting aside his prepared comments and clearly enjoying the chance to improvise and tell jokes in his native language.

Francis will fly from Cuba to Washington on Tuesday.