Pope Francis meeting with Fidel Castro in Cuba 'probable': Vatican

Pope Francis meeting with Fidel Castro in Cuba 'probable': Vatican

Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis is likely to meet Fidel Castro during
his upcoming trip to Cuba, the Vatican said Tuesday.

"A meeting with Fidel Castro is probable, even if it is not yet
scheduled for a specific time in the programme", spokesman Federico
Lombardi told reporters ahead of the pontiff's eight-day trip to Cuba
and the United States, which begins Saturday.

Fidel's hope to meet the Argentine "was expressed by his brother,
President Raul Castro, to the pope when he came to the Vatican in the
spring," he said.

Francis was widely recognised for the key role he played in Cuba's
reconciliation with the United States this year.

The countries agreed a historic deal in July to re-establish full
diplomatic relations, severed at the peak of the Cold War.

It would not be the first meeting between Fidel and the head of the
Roman Catholic Church: both John Paul II and Benedict XVI travelled to
Cuba and met the former leader.

Spokesman Lombardi ruled out a possible meeting during the US-leg of the
trip with Russian President Vladimir Putin, brushing off media reports
that the pair would meet when the pontiff addresses the United Nations
in New York.

Lombardi also dismissed concerns over Francis's security, saying the
78-year old pope -- who loves nothing more than to plunge into the
crowds -- would move around freely during the trip.

Source: Pope Francis meeting with Fidel Castro in Cuba 'probable':
Vatican - Yahoo News -
http://news.yahoo.com/pope-francis-meeting-fidel-castro-cuba-probable-vatican-152530951.html