SANTIAGO, Cuba (AP) — Cuban President Raul Castro is telling Pope Benedict XVI that his country favors complete religious freedom. Castro says in a welcome address that Cuba has good relations with all religious institutions. Benedict arrived Monday in Santiago de Cuba on a special Alitalia flight that flew Cuban and Vatican flags from the cockpit as it taxied along the airport tarmac. It halted next to a red carpet that led to two chairs underneath a canopy. The pope... Read more

SANTIAGO, Cuba (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI says he has “heartfelt affection” for all Cubans, both on the island and in exile. The pontiff says in his arrival speech that Cubans are ever present in his heart and prayers, “wherever they may be.” He spoke in the eastern city of Santiago, where he is kicking off a three-day tour. Cuban President Raul Castro greeted him at the airport, just days after Benedict declared the island’s Marxist system outdated. Benedict is... Read more

SANTIAGO, Cuba (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI followed in the footsteps of his predecessor’s groundbreaking trip to Cuba on Monday, hoping to renew the faith in Latin America’s least Catholic country. Cuban President Raul Castro came to the airport in the eastern city of Santiago to welcome Benedict, just days after the pope declared the island’s Marxist system outdated. Unlike in Mexico, where multitudes showed up to greet the pope at the airport, normal citizens were kept away from Cuba’s... Read more

SILAO, Mexico (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI is flying to Cuba after ending a three-day tour of Mexico that the 84-year-old pontiff describes as “brief but intense.” Benedict’s arrives Monday in Santiago, Cuba’s second biggest city. It is home to the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, a tiny wooden statue that is revered by both Catholic and non-Catholic Cubans. The pope will celebrate an open-air Mass Monday evening in Santiago’s main plaza and then pray at the sanctuary of the... Read more

A brief look at Cuba: ___ LAND — Largest island in Caribbean, covering 44,344 square miles (110,922 square kilometers), about size of Pennsylvania (Bulgaria). Rugged Sierra Maestra mountains at eastern end, but mostly flat or slightly rolling countryside. ___ PEOPLE — Population more than 11 million. About half mixed-race, 35 percent white, 15 percent black, with scattering of people descended from Chinese, other non-European immigrants. Parts of population have traces of original Indian peoples, but indigenous cultures died out long... Read more

LEON, Mexico (AP) — He donned a sombrero and was serenaded by mariachi bands, embraced by Mexicans who called him their brother. Pope Benedict XVI has a bit of a tougher sell as he heads to a Cuba that until recently was officially atheist. Benedict leaves behind Spanish-speaking Latin America’s most Roman Catholic country Monday and arrives in its least, hoping to inspire the same outpouring of faith on the communist-run island that he did in Mexico’s conservative Catholic heartland.... Read more

Obama urges N. Korea to ‘have the courage to pursue peace;’ wants further cuts in US arsenal SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Barack Obama is warning North Korea and Iran that their options are few and their friends fewer as those nations refuse to back down from actions the world sees as menacing. “By now it should be clear,” Obama said, addressing North Korea from the South Korean capital only about 30 miles away. “Your provocations and pursuit of... Read more

SILAO, Mexico (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI urged Mexicans to wield their faith against drug violence, poverty and other ills, celebrating Sunday Mass before a sea of hushed worshippers beneath a blazing sun in the highlight of his Mexican visit. Many in the crowd said they were gratified by Benedict’s recognition of their country’s problems and said they felt reinvigorated in what they described as a daily struggle against criminality, corruption and economic hardship. Benedict delivered the message to an... Read more

EATONVILLE, Florida (AP) — African-American community churches around the U.S. on Sunday amplified the cries for justice in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, with the increasingly loud calls coming from the pulpits of what have been cultural and often political institutions in America. The one-month anniversary of the black teen’s death is Monday. He was shot while wearing a hooded sweatshirt as he walked home on a rainy night in a gated Florida community. The neighborhood watch volunteer... Read more

EATONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — African-American community churches around the nation on Sunday amplified the cries for justice in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, with the increasingly loud calls coming to the pulpits of what have been cultural and often political institutions in America. The one-month anniversary of the black teen’s death is Monday. He was shot while wearing a hooded sweatshirt as he walked home on a rainy night in a gated community. The neighborhood watch volunteer who... Read more