Pope Benedict would like to visit Cuba at the invitation of new President Raul Castro and his ailing brother Fidel, the pontiff's top aide said on Friday after a visit to the island.Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who had become the first foreign official to meet with Raul Castro after he succeeded his brother Fidel as president, said he had discussed a possible trip by the pope to Cuba.
"There was talk about (Fidel's) invitation for Benedict XVI to visit the island and Raul confirmed this wish," Bertone told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, adding that Fidel was not well enough to see him but followed his trip via radio and television.
"I believe Pope Benedict would have a great desire to go to Cuba and deliver another dose of hope and closeness to the Church and the Cuban people," he said. He gave no indication when the trip could take place.
Bertone traveled to Cuba from February 20-26 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the late Pope John Paul's historic trip to the island.
After Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, priests were expelled and Catholics faced decades of official atheism.
The Catholic Church is the only major institution in Cuba that is not controlled by the state and is expected to play an important social role in any post-Castro transition.
"One cannot ignore, naturally, the problem of relations with political dissidents, but ... there has been a certain opening even for public demonstrations (by the Church) like processions or open-air ceremonies," he said.
"We must accept the small steps ... that have been taken in these 10 years and that still continue now. I believe there are possibilities of further opening and further development."
Bertone said he gave Raul Castro a list of names of prisoners "to take into consideration for humanitarian reasons".
Bertone added that Raul Castro underscored the importance of international reciprocity, and raised the case of five Cubans serving long US prison sentences for spying and conspiracy to commit murder.
He said he and Raul Castro discussed "the eventual possibility of an exchange.
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