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.c The Associated Press
It was a
remarkable five days for Cuba.
Making a long-sought pilgrimage, Pope John Paul II swept through four Cuban
cities to crusade for a revival of his beleaguered church, and chided both
communists and capitalists for straying from the path of Christ.
The pontiff called for the freedom of political prisoners, crowned Cuba's
patron saint, consoled AIDS victims and celebrated Mass for hundreds of
thousands of Cubans. They included Fidel Castro, who embraced and even promoted
the pope's trip.
A day-by-day glance at his tour:
WEDNESDAY - Setting the tone for his trip as soon as he arrives in Havana,
the pope calls for greater freedoms in Cuba, while also slapping at the U.S.
economic embargo. Key theme: "May Cuba, with all its magnificent potential,
open itself up to the world, and may the world open itself up to Cuba.'' Castro
insists the pope's message of social justice is similar to his own.
THURSDAY - John Paul stresses family values in Santa Clara, a city in the
sugar-cane heartland. He calls for Christian education and attacks abortion and
divorce - both common in Cuba. At night, the 71-year-old Castro and the
77-year-old pope meet privately for 50 minutes, and exchange gentle quips about
growing old.
FRIDAY - The pope urges young Cubans to avoid the emptiness of "alcohol,
the abuse of sex, drug use, prostitution'' during a Mass in the central city of
Camaguey and stresses the Christian character of democracy during an evening
talk with intellectuals in Havana.
SATURDAY - At a shrine south of Havana, the pope urges Castro to release "prisoners
of conscience'' and to respect freedoms of expression and association. In the
eastern city of Santiago, the pope stresses the links between the church and
patriotism. Santiago's Archbishop Pedro Meurice Estiu said too many Cubans "have
confused patriotism with a party.''
SUNDAY - Some 250,000 people - Castro among them - turn out for the pope's
farewell Mass in the Plaza of the Revolution. John Paul calls Cubans to "new
paths'' of reconciliation but warns against embracing the egoism and
inequalities of unrestrained capitalism. In his final addresses, he urged a role
for the church in Cuban reconciliation and appealed for pluralism. Castro said
he might not agree with everything the pope said, but warmly thanked him for
coming.
AP-NY-01-25-98 2139EST |