Ifølge styret i Havana er der ikke afsat tid til at han mødes med systemkritikere – Paven kritiserede marxismen op til besøget på den kommunistisk regerede caribiske ø.
Pope Benedict XVI arrives Monday in Cuba for a three-day trip, the first papal visit to the island for 14 years, BBC online reports Monday.
The Pope will visit Santiago de Cuba, near the sanctuary that houses an icon of Cuba’s patron saint, the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre.
He has cited the 400th anniversary of the icon’s discovery as the main reason for his trip to the island.
Ahead of the visit, Pope Benedict suggested Cuba’s Marxist structure “no longer corresponds to reality”. He called for “new models” of government to be put in place.
Despite the criticism, observers say relations between Church and state have warmed in Cuba in recent years. President Raul Castro will hold official talks him with in Havana on Tuesday.
Raul Castro has used the Church to mediate on issues such as political prisoners and economic reform, recognising its position as the most socially influential organisation outside of the government in Cuba.
Pope Benedict will celebrate a Mass in honour of the Virgin of Charity in Santiago de Cuba on Monday, and will hold another Mass in Havana later in the week.
Church officials have said there is no time in his schedule to meet anti-government dissidents.
Roman Catholicism is less prevalent in Cuba than other South American nations, but there is still excitement and expectation around the Pope’s visit, BBC notes.
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http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/nyhed/23-03-12/rapport-st-rk-stigning-i-overfald-p-journalister-o
