Cuban President Diaz-Canel to Meet With Pope Francis

On Tuesday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel will hold meetings with Pope Francis and Italian Head of State Sergio Mattarella, as part of a tour of Europe from June 20 to 24.

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The Pope's audience with Diaz-Canel will be strictly private and will take place a few days after Francis was discharged after spending nine days hospitalized for an abdominal hernia operation.

While for his interview with Mattarella, the Cuban president is expected at 4:00 p.m. local time at the Quirinal Palace. Later, Diaz-Canel will travel to the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to meet with the Director Qu Dongyu.

The Cuban president will participate this Wednesday in Paris as president of the Group of 77 + China in the Summit for a new World Financial Pact. Diaz Canel also mentioned about his visit to Serbia.

"Surely they will be intense days during which we will work to continue promoting and diversifying our ties in pursuit of the development of Cuba," he tweeted.

The official Cuban delegation is also made up of the Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez and other senior diplomats. In the Vatican, Diaz-Canel will also meet with the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.

Miguel Diaz-Canel is the third president of Cuba to arrive at the Vatican after Fidel Castro met with Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.