Pope And Castro Enjoy 'Friendly' Encounter

Pope Francis, on a historic visit to Cuba, has met with former leader Fidel Castro, the Vatican said.

The two met for about 40 minutes at Castro's home, the Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.

The conversation was described as "very relaxed, fraternal and friendly", and they discussed religion and world affairs in the presence of Castro's children and grandchildren.

Francis gave Castro several of his official papal writings, two books on spirituality and a book and CD on the writings of Father Armando Llorente, a priest who taught Castro in Jesuit prep school more than 70 years ago.

In exchange, Castro gave him a copy of Fidel And Religion, a 1985 book of interviews with a Brazilian priest which lifted a taboo on speaking about religion in Cuba, then officially atheist.

Earlier, Francis blessed the Cuban people during Mass in Havana's Revolution Square.

President Raul Castro was among thousands gathered for the ceremony in the huge plaza that is the political heart of the communist island.

It is the first papal visit to Cuba since Pope Benedict in 2012. St John Paul II was the first pope to visit the island in 1998.

Once he has finished his four-day tour of Cuba, Francis will head to the US, visiting three cities: Philadelphia, New York and Washington DC.

Francis, who is the first Latin American pope, addressed Cubans during his homily in their common mother tongue of Spanish.

Flanked by a portrait of his fellow Argentine, Cuban guerrilla leader and staunch atheist Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, he urged them to care for one another out of a sense of service, not ideology.

He also encouraged the masses not to judge one another by "looking to one side or the other to see what our neighbour is doing or not doing".

Before Sunday's Mass, the crowd - believers and non-believers - erupted in cheers as Francis circled in his open-sided popemobile.

He stopped frequently to greet worshippers and kiss youngsters handed up to him.

Young and old turned out in droves on Saturday to welcome Francis to the country , lining the motorcade route of a man many credit with helping bring about the recent thaw in relations between Cuba and the US.

Upon his arrival, Francis urged the US and Cuba to persevere with their rapprochement - setting "an example of reconciliation for the entire world".

He also encouraged Cuba to grant more freedom to the Roman Catholic Church, which has re-emerged as a powerful force after decades of repression.

But he made no overt condemnation of the US economic embargo, which persists despite the détente between the Cold War enemies.

The Vatican has long opposed the embargo on the grounds that it hurts ordinary Cubans most.

However, only the US Congress can lift it and the Republican leadership has defied President Obama's calls to do so.

Civil rights activists told Reuters news agency that police had rounded up dozens of dissidents to stop them attending papal events.

While most Cubans are nominally Catholic, fewer than 10% practice their faith.