A `positive climate' in Cuba talks

By JUAN O. TAMAYO
Herald Staff Writer

Cuban President Fidel Castro and a Roman Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Jaime Ortega met for six hours to discuss ``with precision and objectivity'' several issues on the upcoming papal visit, the church announced Friday.

The meeting ``was carried out in a positive climate. Several items of interest to the Cuban church were also discussed,'' the church said in a terse six-paragraph announcement on the session, which was held late Thursday in Castro's office.

It was the first time in 12 years that Castro had met with Cuban Catholic Church leaders, although he has met often with the Vatican's ambassador in Havana, as well as local and foreign Protestant and Jewish leaders.

The communique said all details on Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba Jan. 21-25 ``were discussed with precision and objectivity,'' but provided no further description of the talks and did not say how Castro had reacted.

Church officials were known to be planning to press Castro to grant increased access to the government-monopolized media and order radio and television stations to broadcast the five scheduled papal Masses.

Castro was accompanied by Vice President Carlos Lage; Jose Ramon Balaguer, the Communist Party's top ideology official; and Caridad Diego, head of the religious issues office in the party's Central Committee.

Ortega attended the meeting in his role as member of the ruling committee of the Conference of Cuban Catholic Bishops. He was accompanied by the other three members of the committee, the bishops of Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey and Cienfuegos.