Pope calls on Cuba and US to set global 'example of reconciliation'

Pope Francis has begun a politically charged visit to Cuba and the United States with a call for the two former adversaries to continue down the path of rapprochement – one that the Argentine pontiff helped to pave – and set an “example of reconciliation” for the rest of the world.

Within minutes of touching down at Havana’s José Marti airport on an Alitalia jet bearing the flags of the Vatican and Cuba, the leader of the Catholic church launched into what is certain to be the key theme of his nine-day tour: building on the deal he helped to broker last December between Barack Obama and Raul Castro.

At a welcome ceremony in blustery weather that sent his white papal robes flapping in the wind, Francis said the normalizing of relations between two nations, after years of estrangement, filled him with hope.

“It is a sign of the victory of the culture of encounter and dialogue, the system of universal growth over the forever-dead system of groups and dynasties,” he said. “I urge political leaders to persevere on this path and to develop all its potentialities as a proof of the high service which they are called to carry out on behalf of the peace and well-being of their peoples, of all America, and as an example of reconciliation for the entire world.”

The challenges ahead were spelled out by Cuban president Raúl Castro, who expressed his country’s appreciation for the pope’s support for US-Cuban dialogue, but said the re-establishment of relations should only be considered a first step. He demanded the US lift its economic embargo and return the “territory usurped by the Guantanamo Naval Base”.

Former president Fidel Castro – the architect of Cuba’s 1959 revolution – was too frail to attend the welcome ceremony. Francis asked Raúl to convey “my sentiments of particular respect and consideration to your brother”. The Vatican has said the pope would like to meet with the revolutionary leader even though a formal meeting has not been scheduled.

Ambiguously, the pope said he wanted his greeting to embrace “all of those who, for various reasons, I will not be able to meet, and Cubans throughout the world”. This could refer to those who are unwell, like Fidel Castro, or to political dissidents, who are under scrutiny by the government. The mention of “Cubans throughout the world”, however, appeared to be an attempt to bridge the political divide between Havana and the exile community in Miami.

His one departure from a pre-scripted speech was a dramatic call to pray in a time that was “like a third world war in stages”. He did not elaborate, but journalists on his 12-hour flight said he had expressed concern about the global situation. According to the Italian daily La Repubblica, the pope said: “I believe that the world is thirsty for peace.” He cited “wars, migrants, and the wave of people that are fleeing wars and fleeing death”.

Underscoring the political significance of the trip, the presidents of the two countries – Raul Castro and Barack Obama – spoke by phone on the eve of the pope’s departure. The White House said the two leaders – both of whom the pope will meet, along with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and probably Fidel Castro – commended the pope’s role in “advancing relations between our countries”.

They also discussed future steps to ease tensions, following announcements earlier on Friday that the US will loosen restrictions on travel to Cuba. From Monday, controls will also be eased on money transfers to Cuba, telephone communications and internet business. Ahead of the visit, Cuba released 3,522 prisoners.

The pope’s comments over the coming week will be closely watched. Both sides of the historical divide hope Francis will press their case further. Many Cubans want him to call more strongly for an end to the US embargo. Dissident groups and anti-government exiles in Florida urge him to speak out against restrictions on freedom of speech and worship on the island.

But in his short initial address, Francis maintained the mix of low-key diplomacy and encouragement that has been a hallmark of his dealings with the island.

Noting that this year marked the 80th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Cuba and the Catholic church – he did not mention that Cuba was considered to be an atheist state following the 1959 revolution – Francis said the country and the church were renewing bonds of cooperation and friendship “so that the church can continue to support and encourage the Cuban people in its hopes and concerns, with freedom, the means and the space needed to bring the proclamation of the Kingdom to the existential peripheries of society”.

He spoke, too, of the patron saint of Cuba, our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, saying she had accompanied the Cuban people, “sustaining the hope which preserves people’s dignity in the most difficult situations and championing the promotion of all that gives dignity to the human person”.

“The growing devotion to the Virgin is a visible testimony of her presence in the soul of the Cuban people,” he said.

Following the address, he was due to travel to the Vatican residence in an open-car parade. Havana, which has a reputation for being stylishly tatty, has been given a facelift around the areas he will visit. On the main streets, colonial facades have been freshly painted and roads re-asphalted.

Ahead of the pope’s arrival, the sense of anticipation in Havana is growing. Ildefonso Alsina, a bongo player in a Cuba Son trio, was visibly excited. “It’s awesome to be visited by God’s representative on earth. It’s an amazing thing. We’ll see more changes here,” he said. “To have a Latin pope is good for the world. It’s telling that he came here before the United States.”

He was speaking in the plaza outside the cathedral, which is draped with banners declaring “Bienvenido Papa Francisco” (Welcome Pope Francis).

Elsewhere, at the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Ignacio de Loyola, the main Jesuit church in Cuba, a noticeboard carried scrawled hopes for the visit from Catholics from the local parish, Mexico, Venezuela and Germany. “Thanks for your help in trying to end the embargo,” said one. “God bless Papa Francisco. We ask for your help in the prisons of Cuba,” said another.

After a mass on Saturday morning, the Jesuit priest Francisco Escolástico said Cuba and Brazil are the only countries in the world to have been visited by three popes. This has raised expectations.

“We have a rainfall of hope. Cuba is a country and a church that was closed for many years. The three papal visits in 17 years has helped the country to open up to the outside world and also helped to open things up inside the country so we can look at the reality, which includes poverty and misery. I don’t expect an enormous transformation. We want to hear words of faith.”

Clergy from all over the world have flown into Havana ahead of the pope’s visit. They include Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, and the retired archbishop of Washington Theodore Edgar McCarrick, who told the Guardian he was also in Havana for the visit of Pope Jean Paul II in 1998. “That was a first by a pope, but today’s visit is also very exciting because Francisco is a historic personality.”