Pope Francis gifts Fidel Castro with copy of 'Laudato
Si'
.- The Vatican has
confirmed that Pope Francis and former Cuban president Fidel Castro held a
brief meeting after Sunday Mass and the Angelus today.
Pope
Francis, accompanied by a few other Vatican representatives including Apostolic
Nuncio to Cuba, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, traveled to Fidel Castro’s home
where the two talked about the environment and “the great problems of the
contemporary world."
“Naturally,
the themes of the conversation were about the dramatic themes of today and
about the environment,” Vatican Press secretary, Fr. Federico Lombardi told
journalists in Havana Sept. 20.
The two exchanged a few books, since during his 2012 visit, Pope
Benedict XVI told Castro that he would “send him some interesting books to
read.”
Pope
Francis gave a copy of his works, “Laudato Si” and “Evangelii Gaudium” as well
as a book on happiness and the spiritual life by Italian priest Fr. Alexandro
Pronzato.
Most
notable, however, was the collection of writings and homilies by Spanish-born Jesuit
priest Fr. Amando Llorente that Pope Francis gave him. A former tutor to Castro
in his youth, the priest was later exiled from Cuba in 1961 under Castro’s
regime.
In
turn, Castro gave the Holy Father a copy of his book, “Fidel and Religion” – a
synopsis of the former president’s meeting with Pope-emeritus Benedict. In the
front cover he wrote, “For Pope Francis, on the occasion of your fraternal
visit to Cuba, with the admiration and respect of the Cuban people. Fidel.”
“It's
interesting, he reflects a lot on the great questions of today and tomorrow and
he was interested in speaking to the Pope about this,” Fr. Lombardi said of
Castro. “In this sense, Laudato Si’ is very important evidently because it
contains the Pope's thoughts on these great themes.”
Their 30 to 40 minute meeting had a casual atmosphere, Fr.
Lombardi said, with Castro’s wife, children and nieces and nephews in
attendance.
Out
of respect for the informality of the meeting, the Vatican press office said
that no pictures were taken.
Alan Holdren contributed to this report.
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