Pope Francis departs for Holguin, Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 21 (acn) After two intense days in Havana, Pope Francis flew from the Havana International Airport to the eastern Cuban city of Holguin, his second stop in his visit to Cuba.

His Holiness was seen off by the President of the Cuban People´s Power Assembly Esteban Lazo, and other local authorities.

The Pope will arrive some minutes after 9 AM, and after a short tour through Holguin, he will officiate Mass at the Calixto Garcia Revolution Square, and later in the afternoon he will bless the city´s inhabitants from Loma de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross)

In the second day in Cuba, Pope Francis officiated Mass to the over 200 thousand Cubans that gathered at the Jose Marti Revolution Square in Havana, including Cuban President Raul Castro and his Argentinean counterpart Cristina Fernandez.

Later, he paid a visit to Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro in his home, and met with Raul Castro at the Revolution Palace.

Around six PM, the Pope had a meeting at the Havana Cathedral with priests, seminarians and religious persons, where he spoke of mercy.

Today, after his visit to Holguin, he will travel to Santiago de Cuba for a meeting with the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba and other activities. Tomorrow he will officiate Mass at the Shrine of the Virgin of the Charity before departing for the United States