Castro Honors ‘Friend’ John Paul

HAVANA —  Cuban President Fidel Castro praised Pope John Paul II for his support of world peace and defense of the poor, and then joined other Communist leaders, diplomats and church officials for a funeral Mass in the pontiff’s honor.

“Rest in peace, tireless fighter for friendship among peoples, enemy of war and friend of the poor,” Castro wrote Monday afternoon in the condolences book at the Papal Nunciature, the Vatican’s mission in Havana.

Accompanied by his younger brother and designated successor, Defense Minister Raul Castro, the president also recalled John Paul as an “unforgettable friend” who would be remembered on the island for speaking out against the U.S. trade embargo during his 1998 visit.

“This earned you the gratitude and the affection of all Cubans forever,” Castro wrote.

The Cuban president, dressed in a dark suit and tie, later traveled to the Havana cathedral for the Mass celebrated Monday by the island’s highest-ranking Roman Catholic prelate, Cardinal Jaime Ortega.

Thousands filled the towering cathedral and an adjacent plaza for the elaborate ceremony, which lasted nearly two hours. Ortega shook hands with Castro before approaching the pulpit to deliver the homily for John Paul.

Ortega planned to attend John Paul’s funeral in Rome and participate in the gathering of cardinals electing a new pope.

Church officials said it was the first time in decades that Castro had publicly appeared in the cathedral. He sat in the front pew, rows away from James Cason, the top U.S. diplomat in Cuba and a Castro adversary.