HAVANA — Pope Francis arrived here Saturday to a rapturous reception from ordinary Cubans and, drawing on the famous words of one of his predecessors, called on island nation to “open itself to the world” and on the world “to open itself to Cuba.”

Greeting him on the airport tarmac was the country’s communist president Raul Castro, who offered that in Cuba, “we exercise religious freedom as a right consecrated in our constitution.” They were doubtless welcome words for Francis but incongruous for many Cubans, who consider it’s a right more honored in the breach than the observance.

The arrival ceremony marked the beginning of a 10-day odyssey, the longest foreign trip of his papacy to date, featuring three days in this island nation before moving on to Washington, New York, and Philadelphia Sept. 22-27.

It’s the first time Francis has visited either country, and there’s poetic justice in his combining them in one trip since he’s been credited by both sides with helping heal Cold War tensions. On Saturday he hailed that rapprochement, a diplomatic coup, as an “example of reconciliation for the entire world.”

Overall, Francis’ visit seemed to evoke joy among Cuban civilians, who may not practice the faith with great zeal anymore — statistics show weekly Mass attendance in this nominally Catholic nation is in the single digits — but still have great respect for the Church, and appear thrilled to see a fellow Latin American at the top.

Yet despite the enthusiasm, Francis faces skepticism among dissidents and exiles worried he won’t press the Castro regime hard enough on human rights and religious freedom. They certainly won’t approve of the way Francis went out of his way to send greetings to Fidel, for instance, immediately upon his arrival.

Read the article “Francis Lays out Gentle Critique of Cuba’s Socialist Revolution” on cruxnow.com.