Raul Castro, Cuba's president, has thanked Pope Francis for his role in a slow but growing diplomatic rapprochement with the US, greeting the pontiff on his arrival in Havana.
This year has seen the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the US and Cuba, as well as the easing of some travel and trade restrictions, although a decades-long economic embargo remains in place.
The Pope, whose arrival in Havana marks the start of a nine-day tour of Cuba and the US, is considered to have played a major role in facilitiating the moves having facilitated a back channel for talks between Cuba and the US in 2014.
Cubans lined the streets of Havana waving flags in the colors of Cuba and the Vatican, and holding banners with the slogan: "Missionary of mercy, welcome to Cuba!"
Speaking shortly after his arrival, the Pople urged Cuba and the US to provide an example for the world by continuing to normalise relations. "I urge political leaders to persevere on this path ... as an example of reconciliation for the entire world," he said.
He also applauded the greatly improved cooperation between the Cuban government and the Roman Catholic Church.
Castro thanked the pontiff for his help with the US rapprochement, but also used his welcoming speech to criticise Washington's embargo and occupation of the Guantanamo naval base on the eastern tip of the Caribbean island.
He said that Cuba had been a model of internationalism and humanism in past decades.
"We have done that while being blockaded, insulted, attacked, with a high cost in human lives and major economic damages," he said.
The Pope is to celebrate Mass in Havana on Sunday in Revolution Square, where a huge picture of Jesus Christ has been temporarily hung alongside permanent images of revolutionary heroes Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.
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