>>> the pope is in cuba tonight, and while he's not the first, it's still notable considering the almost 30-year ban on religion there and considering he's been tough on the castro regime. now, he goes about trying to make a more intimate connection to cuban catholics. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is with us tonight from havana , andrea, good evening.
>> good evening, brian. i know you were here the last time a pope came to cuba . john paul ii , of course. 14 years ago. a lot has changed, and some very important things have not changed here. pope benedict arrived here in santiago, 540 miles from havana . he was greeted by raul castro , dressed in civilian clothes, not the military garb. castro assured the pope that cuba 's constitution guarantees religious freedoms. that, of course, has not always been the case. leaving rome this week, the pope pointedly said marxism no longer responds to reality. he was more diplomatic today, expressing sympathy for all cubans, including prisoners. and in fact, cuba 's cardinal did negotiate for the release of 130 cuban political prisoners two years ago, and is becoming a powerful if careful voice for political reform today. the government gave people the day off to see the pope's arrival and to attend a mass tonight in santiago. poem benedict doesn't have the charisma of his predecessor, but the pope was showing some style yesterday in mexico. even trying on a sombrero in his popemobile. and tomorrow, he comes here to havana . he's expected to see both castros, raul and fidel. brian.
>> all right, andrea mitchell in cuba tonight. thank you for
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46861797/
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