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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/sep/19/pope-francis-cuba-us-visit-tour-live
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| Pope Francis arrives for Cuba visit before US tour – as it happened | Pope Francis arrives for Cuba visit before US tour – as it happened |
| (17 days later) | |
| 11.36pm BST | 11.36pm BST |
| 23:36 | 23:36 |
| We are now closing down this blog, so here's where things stand at 6:30PM eastern time… | We are now closing down this blog, so here's where things stand at 6:30PM eastern time… |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.45pm BST | at 11.45pm BST |
| 11.30pm BST | 11.30pm BST |
| 23:30 | 23:30 |
| More here from Stephanie Kirchgaessner about sweet treats presented to Pope Francis on the flight. | More here from Stephanie Kirchgaessner about sweet treats presented to Pope Francis on the flight. |
| Andrea Tornielli of La Stampa about the trip over. A journalist from Univision gave Francis a box of frozen empanadas that she had asked a top restaurant in Miami to prepare. The pope handed them to the Alitalia flight attendants, who warmed them up and distributed them among reporters. | Andrea Tornielli of La Stampa about the trip over. A journalist from Univision gave Francis a box of frozen empanadas that she had asked a top restaurant in Miami to prepare. The pope handed them to the Alitalia flight attendants, who warmed them up and distributed them among reporters. |
| It wasn’t the only gift. The pontiff was also treated to a recorded message from the daughter of a Mexican reporter; got a book that was dedicated to him; and was shown smartphone emoticons of his face with various funny expressions by a correspondent for Tv2000. Sweetest of all, he received some “dulce de leche”, a staple from his home in Argentina, from reporter Elisabetta Pique. | It wasn’t the only gift. The pontiff was also treated to a recorded message from the daughter of a Mexican reporter; got a book that was dedicated to him; and was shown smartphone emoticons of his face with various funny expressions by a correspondent for Tv2000. Sweetest of all, he received some “dulce de leche”, a staple from his home in Argentina, from reporter Elisabetta Pique. |
| 11.24pm BST | 11.24pm BST |
| 23:24 | 23:24 |
| More from Jonathan Watts in the crowd: | More from Jonathan Watts in the crowd: |
| Standing in the Miramar district towards the end of the 18km route, flower shop owner Pedro luis Leyva said he had also seen john paul Ii and benedict xvi at the same spot. | Standing in the Miramar district towards the end of the 18km route, flower shop owner Pedro luis Leyva said he had also seen john paul Ii and benedict xvi at the same spot. |
| “But this is my favourite Pope. Francisco is more charismatic. He’s a better communicator. It’s great for the church to have a Latin American Pope “His daughter Leidy, who waved flags as the Pope passed, said the occasion was beautiful. “I’m very pleased to see the Pope in Cuba” | “But this is my favourite Pope. Francisco is more charismatic. He’s a better communicator. It’s great for the church to have a Latin American Pope “His daughter Leidy, who waved flags as the Pope passed, said the occasion was beautiful. “I’m very pleased to see the Pope in Cuba” |
| The Catholic Church in Cuba hope Francisco will help them reach out to new followers. That seemed to be the case for Margerita Marques. “I’m not catholic but everyone wants to see him. It’s the Pope!” | The Catholic Church in Cuba hope Francisco will help them reach out to new followers. That seemed to be the case for Margerita Marques. “I’m not catholic but everyone wants to see him. It’s the Pope!” |
| 11.16pm BST | 11.16pm BST |
| 23:16 | 23:16 |
| Another great picture of Revolutionary Square, where Pope Francis will lead tomorrow’s mass: | Another great picture of Revolutionary Square, where Pope Francis will lead tomorrow’s mass: |
| Mañana a las 8 y 20 el #PapaFrancisco estará en la #PlazadelaRevolución, luego de recorrerla ofrecerá misa a cubanos pic.twitter.com/vYwCy1m1CT | Mañana a las 8 y 20 el #PapaFrancisco estará en la #PlazadelaRevolución, luego de recorrerla ofrecerá misa a cubanos pic.twitter.com/vYwCy1m1CT |
| 11.14pm BST | 11.14pm BST |
| 23:14 | 23:14 |
| US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power tweeted critically of the Cuban regime for imprisoning human rights activists and the homeless on the eve of the Pope’s visit: | US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power tweeted critically of the Cuban regime for imprisoning human rights activists and the homeless on the eve of the Pope’s visit: |
| HR activists, @DamasdBlanco & even homeless reportedly detained before @Pontifex visit; disappointing business as usual for #Cuban govt | HR activists, @DamasdBlanco & even homeless reportedly detained before @Pontifex visit; disappointing business as usual for #Cuban govt |
| 11.12pm BST | 11.12pm BST |
| 23:12 | 23:12 |
| The Guardian’s Jonathan Watts was in the crowds thronging the streets as the pope drove past. | The Guardian’s Jonathan Watts was in the crowds thronging the streets as the pope drove past. |
| Papal parade had something of a village fair atmosphere. None of the overbearing security when leaders travel through streets in London or New York. | Papal parade had something of a village fair atmosphere. None of the overbearing security when leaders travel through streets in London or New York. |
| Crowds three deep flanked sides of road waving flags of Cuba and Vatican. Cheered as Francisco passed by, waving and beaming. He looked like a man who enjoys that part of his job. | Crowds three deep flanked sides of road waving flags of Cuba and Vatican. Cheered as Francisco passed by, waving and beaming. He looked like a man who enjoys that part of his job. |
| Con amor y mucho respeto recibe el pueblo de #cuba al #PapaFrancisco pic.twitter.com/1FJEKyeKWq | Con amor y mucho respeto recibe el pueblo de #cuba al #PapaFrancisco pic.twitter.com/1FJEKyeKWq |
| 11.06pm BST | 11.06pm BST |
| 23:06 | 23:06 |
| It is interesting to consider the enormous security operation in effect to protect the pope on a trip like this. Last month, a 15-year-old in the United States was arrested for plotting an “ISIS-inspired” assassination attempt against Pope Francis during his visit. | It is interesting to consider the enormous security operation in effect to protect the pope on a trip like this. Last month, a 15-year-old in the United States was arrested for plotting an “ISIS-inspired” assassination attempt against Pope Francis during his visit. |
| “With days to go before Pope Francis’ visit, law enforcement agencies have been dealing with the daunting task of securing travel routes and event sites, which, according to a threat assessment by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, are attractive targets for terror groups like ISIS and al Qaeda,” CNN reported on Friday. | “With days to go before Pope Francis’ visit, law enforcement agencies have been dealing with the daunting task of securing travel routes and event sites, which, according to a threat assessment by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, are attractive targets for terror groups like ISIS and al Qaeda,” CNN reported on Friday. |
| 11.00pm BST | 11.00pm BST |
| 23:00 | 23:00 |
| Some pictures from earlier today, when Pope Francis spoke to reporters on board his plane en route to Havana. | Some pictures from earlier today, when Pope Francis spoke to reporters on board his plane en route to Havana. |
| Earlier, flying with #PopeFrancis to Cuba. pic.twitter.com/e443Rj6x6B | Earlier, flying with #PopeFrancis to Cuba. pic.twitter.com/e443Rj6x6B |
| #PapaEnCuba or at least on the way meets @CatholicNewsSvc photog Paul Haring pic.twitter.com/r2sfV940Ap | #PapaEnCuba or at least on the way meets @CatholicNewsSvc photog Paul Haring pic.twitter.com/r2sfV940Ap |
| 10.51pm BST | 10.51pm BST |
| 22:51 | 22:51 |
| A dispatch from Guardian correspondent Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome: | A dispatch from Guardian correspondent Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome: |
| Writing for La Stampa, the longtime Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli revealed a few more details about the long flight from Rome to Havana. The pope told journalists on board that he was emotional because one of two refugee families that have been welcomed at the parish of St Anna in the Vatican had met with him to bid him farewell before his departure. The pontiff said he could see “the pain and the word peace” in their faces. | Writing for La Stampa, the longtime Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli revealed a few more details about the long flight from Rome to Havana. The pope told journalists on board that he was emotional because one of two refugee families that have been welcomed at the parish of St Anna in the Vatican had met with him to bid him farewell before his departure. The pontiff said he could see “the pain and the word peace” in their faces. |
| Read more about the family here. | Read more about the family here. |
| 10.42pm BST | 10.42pm BST |
| 22:42 | 22:42 |
| The AFP news agency have spoken to Aleida Guevara, daughter of the Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who fought alongside Fidel Castro in the Cuban revolution. | The AFP news agency have spoken to Aleida Guevara, daughter of the Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who fought alongside Fidel Castro in the Cuban revolution. |
| Guevara, a renowned paediatrician and expert on public health, said that she will not be attending the outdoor Mass to be celebrated on Sunday by Pope Francis in Havana’s revolution square, which is dominated by an image of Guevara’s father. | Guevara, a renowned paediatrician and expert on public health, said that she will not be attending the outdoor Mass to be celebrated on Sunday by Pope Francis in Havana’s revolution square, which is dominated by an image of Guevara’s father. |
| “The Cuban Communist Party has asked us militants to go to the mass, to welcome the pope; it’s like practically like homework for the party, which I don’t completely agree with,” she told the agency. “I’m not going to the mass because it would be hypocritical for me. What am I going to do stood there for hours and hours? No, no,” she said. | “The Cuban Communist Party has asked us militants to go to the mass, to welcome the pope; it’s like practically like homework for the party, which I don’t completely agree with,” she told the agency. “I’m not going to the mass because it would be hypocritical for me. What am I going to do stood there for hours and hours? No, no,” she said. |
| 10.33pm BST | 10.33pm BST |
| 22:33 | 22:33 |
| Cubans from around the country have been glued to the Pope’s arrival on television. Photographers from Getty Images visited them and captured these intimate family moments. | Cubans from around the country have been glued to the Pope’s arrival on television. Photographers from Getty Images visited them and captured these intimate family moments. |
| 10.24pm BST | 10.24pm BST |
| 22:24 | 22:24 |
| The Associated Press reports from the crowds thronging the road to Havana as Pope Francis travels from the airport after his long flight: | The Associated Press reports from the crowds thronging the road to Havana as Pope Francis travels from the airport after his long flight: |
| Thousands of people lined the road into Havana from the airport, which was decked out with giant posters of the pope. | Thousands of people lined the road into Havana from the airport, which was decked out with giant posters of the pope. |
| “We hope God will help us and that when his holiness goes to the United States, he can be our advocate,” said 32-year-old Yudelkis Geigel. | “We hope God will help us and that when his holiness goes to the United States, he can be our advocate,” said 32-year-old Yudelkis Geigel. |
| “He’s Latin American, he’s Argentine, he feels for us and our need to end this blockade,” she said - the word commonly used here for the US embargo on Cuba. | “He’s Latin American, he’s Argentine, he feels for us and our need to end this blockade,” she said - the word commonly used here for the US embargo on Cuba. |
| El pueblo saluda #ElPapaEnCuba con banderas cubanas y del Vaticano. #Cuba #PapaFrancisco #SantiagodeCuba pic.twitter.com/L0y5MvmdUe | El pueblo saluda #ElPapaEnCuba con banderas cubanas y del Vaticano. #Cuba #PapaFrancisco #SantiagodeCuba pic.twitter.com/L0y5MvmdUe |
| 10.14pm BST | 10.14pm BST |
| 22:14 | 22:14 |
| More on the thorny issue of Cuban dissidents, from Candida R. Moss, professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame. “The references to freedom, openness to the world, and those Francis is unable to meet ‘for various reasons’ in Cuba are veiled allusions to political prisoners,” she tells the Guardian. | More on the thorny issue of Cuban dissidents, from Candida R. Moss, professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame. “The references to freedom, openness to the world, and those Francis is unable to meet ‘for various reasons’ in Cuba are veiled allusions to political prisoners,” she tells the Guardian. |
| These gestures to oppression in Cuba are a far cry from the blunt directness that we are used to from the Pope and are sure to disappoint some. But this softly-softly approach has served the Vatican well in communist Cuba. | These gestures to oppression in Cuba are a far cry from the blunt directness that we are used to from the Pope and are sure to disappoint some. But this softly-softly approach has served the Vatican well in communist Cuba. |
| Francis referred to the visits of his predecessors in his speech and it is true that after John Paul II’s visit to Cuba the people were permitted to celebrate Easter and after Benedict XVI’s the observation of Good Friday was also allowed. It was the behind the scenes maneuverings of the Vatican that secured the release of 3522 prisoners in advance of the Pope’s visit. | Francis referred to the visits of his predecessors in his speech and it is true that after John Paul II’s visit to Cuba the people were permitted to celebrate Easter and after Benedict XVI’s the observation of Good Friday was also allowed. It was the behind the scenes maneuverings of the Vatican that secured the release of 3522 prisoners in advance of the Pope’s visit. |
| Bold words may grab the attention of the world’s media, but in Cuba the path to progress is travelled in small steps.Francis’s willingness to show restraint demonstrates his political savvy and willingness to meet not only people, but also political regimes ‘where they are’” | Bold words may grab the attention of the world’s media, but in Cuba the path to progress is travelled in small steps.Francis’s willingness to show restraint demonstrates his political savvy and willingness to meet not only people, but also political regimes ‘where they are’” |
| Raul Castro’s words, by contrast, illustrate the manner in which Francis’s words on social justice, wealth inequality, and, in particular, the environment can be taken up and used by the leaders of oppressive communist regimes as well as capitalist ones. This will be music to the ears of conservative critics of Francis, who have accused him of being a naive socialist. | Raul Castro’s words, by contrast, illustrate the manner in which Francis’s words on social justice, wealth inequality, and, in particular, the environment can be taken up and used by the leaders of oppressive communist regimes as well as capitalist ones. This will be music to the ears of conservative critics of Francis, who have accused him of being a naive socialist. |
| What this actually illustrates is the way that Francis’s popularity and moral authority give his words a kind of scriptural quality. They become a touch point and ideological resource for everyone: right and left; conservative or liberal; communist or capitalist. This kind of authority is unparalleled and is something that political leaders will seek to harness for themselves in the coming ten days” | What this actually illustrates is the way that Francis’s popularity and moral authority give his words a kind of scriptural quality. They become a touch point and ideological resource for everyone: right and left; conservative or liberal; communist or capitalist. This kind of authority is unparalleled and is something that political leaders will seek to harness for themselves in the coming ten days” |
| 10.11pm BST | 10.11pm BST |
| 22:11 | 22:11 |
| Over at the Washington Post, writer David Montgomery met several of the many Cuban-Americans making the pilgrimage back to Cuba for Pope Francis’ visit. | Over at the Washington Post, writer David Montgomery met several of the many Cuban-Americans making the pilgrimage back to Cuba for Pope Francis’ visit. |
| For some, such as Bernardo and Maria Perdices, who journeyed to Miami from the suburbs of Los Angeles, Francis’s visit is the stroke that persuaded them, finally, to visit their homeland for the first time since they left nearly 50 years ago. | For some, such as Bernardo and Maria Perdices, who journeyed to Miami from the suburbs of Los Angeles, Francis’s visit is the stroke that persuaded them, finally, to visit their homeland for the first time since they left nearly 50 years ago. |
| “It was hard to make the decision, but I think the time has come,” Bernardo said. | “It was hard to make the decision, but I think the time has come,” Bernardo said. |
| You can read the whole piece here. | You can read the whole piece here. |
| 10.08pm BST | 10.08pm BST |
| 22:08 | 22:08 |
| This tweet from Alitalia shows the view from the door of Pope Francis’ plane. | This tweet from Alitalia shows the view from the door of Pope Francis’ plane. |
| Il Santo Padre all'arrivo a L'Avana #ElPapaEnCuba #ElpapaFrancisco @Pontifex_it pic.twitter.com/u3axNpmXrk | Il Santo Padre all'arrivo a L'Avana #ElPapaEnCuba #ElpapaFrancisco @Pontifex_it pic.twitter.com/u3axNpmXrk |
| 10.06pm BST | 10.06pm BST |
| 22:06 | 22:06 |
| A quick reminder that as the Pope travels first around Cuba, and then to the United States, you can follow his movements with the Guardian’s Pope Tracker interactive. | A quick reminder that as the Pope travels first around Cuba, and then to the United States, you can follow his movements with the Guardian’s Pope Tracker interactive. |
| 10.03pm BST | 10.03pm BST |
| 22:03 | 22:03 |
| Pope Francis is now en route to Havana in a convoy. He is joined in a modified version of his “Popemobile” by Cardinal Ortega. | Pope Francis is now en route to Havana in a convoy. He is joined in a modified version of his “Popemobile” by Cardinal Ortega. |