Pope Francis praises Cuba Church at Holguin mass

The Bishop of Rome presented the Cuban leader with a collection of theological books, and Fidel Castro gave the Pope an autographed copy of the book “Fidel and Religion” by the Brazilian theologian Frei Betto.

Pope Francis opens his first full day in Cuba on Sunday with what normally would be the culminating highlight of a papal visit: Mass before hundreds of thousands of people in Havana’s evocative Revolution Plaza.

The latest developments in Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba and the United States.

Leiva, formerly a member of the dissident group Ladies in White, writes critically about the Cuban government.

Holguin’s Plaza of the Revolution is packed with thousands of people waving flags as Francis travels in his popemobile through the crowd.

During the first two days of his visit, Francis has stuck largely to spiritual messages in speeches, though he has also called for tolerance of different ideas.

Better sensitized to the issue than predecessors because of his Latin American roots, the 78-year-old pontiff facilitated a back channel for secret talks and sent missives to Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama at a delicate stage in 2014.

Pope Francis greets a child on a wheelchair during a meeting with a group of Cuban youth in Havana, Cuba, Sunday September 20, 2015.

The United States has said it has no plans to change the contract that grants it the 117-square-kilometer (45-square-mile) base site for $4,085 a month.

Pope Francis and Fidel Castro had a brief meeting in Havana on Sunday at the former Cuban leader’s home.

Cuban police have prevented political dissidents from attending public events, even after some dissidents were invited by Vatican diplomats.

Arriving on Saturday, he exhorted Cuba and the United States to deepen their recent rapprochement, which he helped broker, and encouraged Cuba to grant more freedom to the Roman Catholic Church, which has re-emerged as a powerful force on the island after suffering decades of repression. It is the third largest providence in Cuba and features such holy sites as the Loma de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross), which Pope Francis was scheduled to visit later in the day.

The pontiff told his audience that Jesus “invites us slowly to overcome our preconceptions and our reluctance to think that others, much less ourselves, can change”.

Francis praised the détente between the two long-estranged neighbors as “an example of reconciliation for the entire world” that “fills us with hope”.