Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have gathered to see Pope Benedict XVI celebrate an open-air Mass in Havana’s Revolution Square on the last day of his visit to the island.
In his sermon, the Pope urged Cubans to search for “authentic freedom”.
As he left, he also criticised the US trade embargo, saying the restrictions “unfairly burden” the people of Cuba.
Pope Benedict also held a 30-minute meeting with the revolutionary leader and former president, Fidel Castro.
Fidel Castro, who also met Pope John Paul II when he visited the island in 1998, had requested a few minutes with Pope Benedict.
The meeting was described by a Vatican spokesman as “animated and cordial”, the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford in Havana reports, with the two men even sharing a joke about their ages. (BBC)
