AP WAS THERE: Pope John Paul II arrives in Cuba

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 1998 file photo, Pope John Paul II kisses a plaque offered to him by Cuban children Seika Sanchez Rodriguez, and her sister Olivia, both age 7, with Ernesto Morales Quesada, 7, and Merdardo Diaz Duarte, 8, at the airport in Havana, Cuba. When the pope stepped off his plane just after 4 p.m., to kiss a tray of Cuban earth held up by the four children, the airport crowd launched into a bouncy chant in Spanish; "John Paul the Second! Everybody loves you!" (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta, File)

By Associated Press September 19, 2015 6 min read

HAVANA (AP) – EDITOR’S NOTE: On Jan. 21, 1998, Pope John Paul II became the first Catholic pontiff to visit Cuba, and more than 20 AP writers, editors, photographers and TV staffers arrived to cover the historic visit.

Victor L. Simpson, then the AP’s Vatican correspondent, traveled with John Paul on the trip, which culminated on Jan. 25 with a Mass in Havana’s Plaza of the Revolution.

Seventeen years later, as Pope Francis prepares to visit the island, the AP is again making this report about John Paul’s arrival available, along with photos.

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Welcomed by President Fidel Castro and multitudes of Cuba’s hard-pressed but hopeful people, Pope John Paul II began a historic pilgrimage Wednesday to this island of embattled faith and struggling revolution.