Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Havana, Cuba, waving flags, cheering and singing hymns. A fiesta mood swept through the crowds. They had come to see Pope John Paul II, the religious leader of the world's 1 billion Roman Catholics. The Cuban capital was the first stop on the Pope's five-day visit to the island nation.
As the Pope's see-through car, the "Popemobile," whizzed down the streets of Havana, some people stood absolutely still. Others broke into tears. "Now I can tell at school that I saw the Pope," said Juan Manuel Niebla, age 11.
In his 20 years as Pope, John Paul II has traveled to 117 countries. But his trip to Cuba was special. This is not a country where religion, and religious leaders, have been welcome.
Cuba's Tough Leader
When Cuba's President, Fidel Castro, came to power in 1959, many people hailed him as a hero. He promised the Cuban people freedom and democracy. He later announced that Cuba would be a communist country. Under communism, Castro vowed, there would no longer be rich and poor. Everyone would have an equal opportunity to get a job and an education.
Although Castro did make some things more equal, he also took away the personal and political freedom of his people. He canceled free elections. He put his opponents in jail. In the 1960s, he began to crack down on religious freedom.
Cubans were discouraged from practicing any form of religion. Religious schools were closed, and many priests and nuns were thrown out of the country. By 1970, the Christian celebrations of Christmas and Easter were no longer official holidays.
Once there were many priests in Cuba, but today there are only 240. "So many people do not even know who the Pope is," says Enrique Lopez Oliva, a professor of religious history in Havana.
So why did Castro, an enemy of religion, agree to have the Pope visit his country? And why did the Pope want to come? The reasons are complex. But even before the Pope's visit, Castro began slowly to open the door to religion in Cuba. Last month, in honor of the Pope's trip, Cubans were allowed to celebrate Christmas for the first time in 27 years.
A Messenger Of Hope
For the Pope, last week's visit was an opportunity to reach out to the people of Cuba and strengthen the role of the Roman Catholic Church there. "I come as a pilgrim of love, of truth and of hope," the Pope told the crowd that gathered to meet him at Havana's airport. Later in his visit, he told Cubans that they should be able to choose the types of schools their children attend, including religious schools. The government, he said, "does not have the right to take the place of parents."
In the past, the Pope would bend to kiss the ground of the country he was visiting. But bending is difficult for the 77-year-old Pope. So four children dressed in white held up a tray of Cuban soil for the Pope to kiss.
Fidel Castro usually wears the olive green army uniform of a revolutionary. But to greet Pope John Paul, he wore the dark blue suit of a statesman. Castro, 71, sees the visit as an opportunity to improve his image around the world. He also hopes to bring about a change in American policy toward Cuba.
In 1962 the U.S. stopped trading with Cuba. Because of this trade embargo, U.S. companies are not allowed to do business with Cuba. Most American citizens are not permitted to travel there. The U.S. started the embargo because our government disapproves of Castro's harsh rule.
The Cuban government says the American trade embargo places a hardship on Cuba's people. It chokes the flow of food and medicines to the country. In his welcoming speech, Castro told the Pope that the U.S. is trying to control Cubans through "total economic suffocation."
But Castro does not have to convince the Pope about the trade embargo. The Pope told reporters he had one message for the U.S: "To change. To change."
Many are hoping Castro gets that message too. Jannet Hernandez, 13, is certain the Pope's visit "will change many things," though she cannot say exactly what. "What he leaves behind will be good," agrees Troadia Correa, 77, "but we do not know what it will be."
Already the Pope's visit promises to leave something good behind. On Thursday, Cuban authorities agreed to consider freeing some political prisoners.
A Look At Cuba
POPULATION 11 million
LOCATION Cuba is in the Caribbean Sea, 90 miles south of the tip of Florida.
THE LAND Cuba is made up of one large island (the largest in the Caribbean) and many smaller islands. It is about the size of Pennsylvania, some 44,220 square miles.
CAPITAL Havana
CHIEF CROPS Sugar and tobacco
RELIGION Before 1959, 85% Roman Catholic; today 40% Roman Catholic
HISTORY In 1492 Christopher Columbus claimed Cuba for Spain. For the next 400 years, Spain ruled Cuba. In the 1800s Cubans began a bloody struggle for independence from Spain's harsh rule. On February 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine was blown up in Havana harbor. The U.S. joined Cuba in its war against Spain. A peace treaty signed in December 1898 forced Spain to give up Cuba. But U.S. soldiers remained in Cuba until 1902. A treaty gave the U.S. permission to build a naval base in Guantánamo, Cuba. In 1959 Fidel Castro took control of Cuba. Three years later, the U.S. stopped all trade with Cuba.