The Pope’s long awaited journey to Cuba and the U.S. began in Havana on Saturday where he spoke about the need to reach out to the most vulnerable, met privately with former President Fidel Castro and told the youth of the nation to be ready to put themselves on the line for the sake of something greater than themselves.

“Missionary of Mercy” is the theme chosen by Pope Francis for his visit to Cuba, where he began his tenth apostolic trip this weekend. The Holy Father arrived in the Jose Marti airport in Havana at 4 p.m. local time on Saturday after a twelve-hour flight. He was welcomed by the president of Cuba, Raul Castro, and by the cardinal archbishop of Havana, Jaime Ortega y Alamino.

After the customary greetings from the president, Pope Francis addressed his hosts and spoke of the historic events that have taken place in the past few months with the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, an event which he helped to broker.

“For some months now, we have witnessed an event which fills us with hope: the process of normalising relations between two peoples following years of estrangement. It is a sign of the victory of the culture of encounter and dialogue, ‘the system of universal growth’ over ‘the forever-dead system of groups and dynasties’,” he said.

“I urge political leaders to persevere on this path and to develop all its potentialities as a proof of the high service which they are called to carry out on behalf of the peace and well-being of their peoples, of all America, and as an example of reconciliation for the entire world. The world needs reconciliation, in this climate of a piecemeal third world war in which we are living.”

After spending the night in the apostolic nunciature, the Pope began his second day in Cuba by greeting the thousands of people who lined the streets on his journey by popemobile to Plaza de la Revolucion Jose Marti where he celebrated Mass for more than 200,000 people.

In his homily, he said the call to serve “involves something special, to which we must be attentive. Serving others chiefly means caring for their vulnerability. Serving means caring for the vulnerable of our families, our society, our people. Theirs are the suffering, fragile and downcast faces which Jesus tells us specifically to look at and which He asks us to love. With a love which takes shape in our actions and decisions. . . Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it. That is why Christians are constantly called to set aside their own wishes and desires, their pursuit of power, and to look instead to those who are most vulnerable.”

From there, he was driven to the Palace of the Revolution to pay a courtesy visit to Raul Castro. Although it was not part of the official program, he also met with former president Fidel Castrol.

“We all knew that Commander Fidel wanted to see the Pope, as he did with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit,” said Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi.

“Commander Fidel, who is an elderly man, is spending this phase of his life in study and reflection: he reads a lot and enjoys conversing with people with great experience. This is explicitly how it was with Pope Benedict XVI, and also with Pope Francis.”

Father Lombardi explained that Pope Benedict had sent books to Fidel, at the former president’s request, and Pope Francis followed up on this by providing copies of his two encyclicals along with two books written by the prolific author of spiritual and catechetical texts, Father Alessandro Pronzato. He also brought a book and two CD’s by the late Father Armando Llorente, a Jesuit priest who was close to Castro when he attended the Jesuit school at the Colegio de Belen.

“The memorial of this relationship with a teacher who profoundly affected his life during his youth was a very meaningful gesture on the part of the Pope,” Fr. Lombardi said.

Their meeting lasted from 30-40 minutes. Castrols’ wife, children, nieces and nephews were also in attendance.

After celebrating vespers in the Cathedral of Havana, the pope met with youth whom he encouraged to dream and be hopeful.

“What kind of hope does a young Cuban have at this moment of history? Nothing more or less than that of any other young person in any other part of the world. Because hope speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our concrete circumstances and historical conditioning. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfilment, a desire to achieve great things, things which fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love.

“But it also involves taking risks,” he continued. It means being ready not to be seduced by what is fleeting, by false promises of happiness, by immediate and selfish pleasures, by a life of mediocrity and self-centredness, which only fills the heart with sadness and bitterness. No, hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and can open us up to grand ideals which make life more beautiful and worthwhile. I would ask each one of you: What is it that shapes your life? What lies deep in your heart? Where do your hopes and aspirations lie? Are you ready to put yourself on the line for the sake of something even greater?

For those youth who say they are attracted to higher ideals but feel too weak to accomplish them, he said, “I can understand that reaction; it is normal to feel weighed down by difficult and demanding things. But take care not to yield to the temptation of a disenchantment which paralyses the intellect and the will, or that apathy which is a radical form of pessimism about the future. These attitudes end either in a flight from reality towards vain utopias, or else in selfish isolation and a cynicism deaf to the cry for justice, truth and humanity which rises up around us and within us.”

The pope flew to Holguin, Cuba today where he celebrated Mass in Holguin Revolution Square followed by a trip to Santiago de Cuba where he will with meet with bishops and conduct a prayer service to Our Lady of Charity at the Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.

He will celebrate Mass in the Basila tomorrow morning, followed by a meeting with families just before departing for Washington DC where he is expected to land at 4:00 p.m.

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