ABC11 in Cuba: Pope presses message of change
HAVANA (WTVD) -- Pope Francis traveled to Cuba's fourth-largest city, Holguin, Monday and celebrated a Mass where Cuban rhythms mixed with church hymns under a scorching tropical sun.
Later in the day, he flew to Santiago for an evening visit to the shrine of Cuba's patron saint, and on Tuesday he will arrive in Washington for the U.S. leg of his visit to the two former Cold War enemies.
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In his homily in Holguin, a city of about 300,000, Francis pressed some of the subtle themes he has developed during this balancing act of a Cuban visit. He told the crowd of how Jesus picked a lowly and despised tax collector, Matthew, and instructed him without casting judgment to follow him. That act of mercy changed Matthew forever.
Francis told the Cubans that they, too, should allow themselves "to slowly overcome our preconceptions and our reluctance to think that others, much less ourselves, can change."
"Do you believe it is possible that a tax collector can be a servant?" he asked on Day 3 of his visit to the island. "Do you believe it is possible that a traitor can become a friend?"
As Pope Francis is preparing to travel to the U-S Tuesday, we found people who have dreams of traveling to the U-S too. Outside the U-S embassy, people lined up for blocks hoping to get a temporary visa just to come for a visit to our country - some had been waiting for weeks.
