Pope Benedict XVI visits Cuba

Pope Benedict XVI drew tens of thousands of worshipers at an outdoor Mass in Santiago, Cuba's second city, on Monday.He took center stage on a blue and white platform, crowned by graceful arches in the shape of a papal mitre, in the colonial city's Antonio Maceo square.Crowds of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Benedict as he arrived in the pope mobile.

The statue of the Virgin of the Charity of El Cobre, Cuba's patron saint, was transported from the Sanctuary of El Cobre, 20 kilometers west of Santiago, to the Mass venue.Senior officials including Cuban president Raul Castro were among the crowds in the square.

The Archbishop of Santiago, Dionisio Garcia Ibanez, praised the combined efforts of the Cuban Catholic church and the island's Communist government on their preparations for the papal trip."I pray to God that this becomes like a parable which bring us together to search for the common good, with everybody's participation, that is the only way," he said.

The Cuban reception was inevitably less fervent than in Mexico, where the pope traveled from, since Cuba only has about a 10 percent of practicing Catholics.

The island's Communist government never outlawed religion, but it expelled priests and closed religious schools after Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba in 1959.Tensions eased in the early 1990s when the government removed references to atheism in the constitution and let believers of all faiths join the Communist Party.

Nowadays, the Catholic church is the most influential independent institution in Cuba but despite years of lobbying, the church has virtually no access to state-run radio or television, is not allowed to administer schools and has not been granted permission to build new places of worship.

Pope Benedict's homily was entirely focused on evangelical aspects but he used his last words to send a message to all Cubans.

"With the arms of peace, forgiveness and understanding, fight to build an open and renewed society, a better society which is worthier of men and which reflects more the goodness of God," he said.