Havana, Cuba - President Fidel Castro's praise of Pope John Paul II and his attendance at a Mass in the pontiff's honor - a rare sighting of the Cuban leader inside a church - filled the front pages of Cuba's state-run newspapers Tuesday.
Catholic officials in Cuba have expressed gratitude and even surprise at the communist government's response to the pope's death. Anniversary celebrations for political organizations and baseball games were canceled and all bars and nightclubs closed as the government observed three days of mourning.
"Rest in peace, tireless fighter for friendship among peoples, enemy of war and friend of the poor," Castro wrote Monday in a condolence book for the pope at the Vatican's mission in Havana.
Accompanied by his younger brother and designated successor, Defense Minister Raul Castro, the president also recalled John Paul as an "unforgettable friend" who would be remembered on the island for speaking out against the U.S. trade embargo during a 1998 visit.
"This earned you the gratitude and the affection of all Cubans forever," Castro wrote.
The Cuban president, dressed in a dark suit and tie, later traveled to the Havana cathedral for the Mass celebrated by the island's highest-ranking Catholic prelate, Cardinal Jaime Ortega.
Church officials said it was the first time Castro had been inside the cathedral in decades, with one of the last occasions being his sister's wedding in 1959.
Castro in recent years has attended numerous outdoor religious services, including John Paul's huge Mass in Revolution Plaza seven years ago.
The Cuban leader also made a highly publicized appearance in 2003 at a ceremony inside the newly renovated Catholic convent that is home to nuns from the Order of the Most Holy Savior of St. Brigid.
As a boy, Castro attended Catholic schools, including one run by the Jesuits.
Cuba never broke ties with the Vatican, even when the island was officially atheist after the 1959 revolution that brought Castro to power. The government removed references to atheism in the constitution in 1991 and allowed religious believers to join the Communist Party.