16th anniversary of John Paul II's first meeting with Fidel Castro




November 19, 2012. (Romereports.com) It was 16 years ago, when John Paul II met Fidel Castro at the Vatican. The year was 1996 and the groundbreaking meeting was closely followed by the international media.

That meeting paved the way for John Paul II's historic visit to Cuba back in 1998. Most recently Benedict XVI visited the island on March 2012. He met with the country's current leader, Raúl Castro and he also spoke briefly with his brother Fidel.
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