Cuba's atheist Castro brothers open doors to Church and popes

Pope Francis (R) meets Cuban President Raul Castro during a private audience at the Vatican, in this May 10, 2015. (Photo:Reuters)

Havana: Baptized as Roman Catholics and educated by Jesuits, Fidel and Raul Castro turned against the Church by declaring Cuba an atheist state, chasing out priests and shutting down religious schools after seizing power in a 1959 revolution.

In their old age, however, they have brought the Church in from the cold and are gracious and experienced hosts for regular papal visits.