This week's In the News discusses the Papal visit to Cuba. The nine resources discussed offer a variety of background information and analysis of this event. Pope John Paul II recently completed an historic five-day trip to Cuba. While the Pope is an ardent anti-communist, Fidel Castro gambled that hosting the Pontiff would increase his own and Cuba's international stature. In addition, as expected John Paul II criticized the crippling 38-year-old US embargo on Cuba. For the Vatican, the visit was seen as an opportunity to revitalize Cuba's long-repressed Catholic Church and win back the many Cubans who have drifted away from the faith under Communism. Both the short and long term effects of the Pope's visit are being vigorously debated; its true impact on Cuban society and religiosity remain to be seen.
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