Pope Francis arrived in Cuba on September 19 to an enthusiastic reception in the country that is in the midst of political change and spiritual curiosity. The photos below capture how Cubans are welcoming the pope and his message of peace.
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HAVANA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 19: Cuban kid celebrates Pope Francis arrival in Havana, Cuba on September 19, 2015. (Photo by Carlos Becerra/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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A woman holds a photo of Pope Francis during his visit in Havana on September 19, 2015, on the first leg of a high-profile trip that will also take him to the United States. AFP PHOTO / Luis Acosta (Photo credit should read LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis arrives at Revolution Square in Havana on September 20, 2015. Pope Francis will give mass on Revolution Square, the biggest event of his trip to Cuba, with nearly a million people expected to attend. The pontiff's eight-day tour will also take him to the United States. AFP PHOTO / RODRIGO ARANGUA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images)
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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 19: People watch as Pope Francis is shown on television as he arrives in Havana, Cuba on September 19, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis arrived in Havana, Cuba today for a three day visit where he meets President Raul Castro and holds Mass in Revolution Square before travelling to Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and onwards to the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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People wait for the start of the mass to be officiated by Pope Francis at Revolution Square in Havana, on September 20, 2015. Pope Francis greeted massive crowds of fans and Catholic faithful Sunday as he arrived in his popemobile to give mass on Havana's iconic Revolution Square, the highlight of his trip to Cuba. The pontiff's eight-day tour will also take him to the United States. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis gives mass at Revolution Square in Havana, on September 20, 2015. Pope Francis greeted massive crowds of fans and Catholic faithful Sunday as he arrived in his popemobile to give mass on Havana's iconic Revolution Square, the highlight of his trip to Cuba. The pontiff's eight-day tour will also take him to the United States. AFP PHOTO / RODRIGO ARANGUA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images)
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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 20: Parishioners attend a church service as Pope Francis conducts a mass in Havana before he is scheduled to arrive in the city on Monday evening on September 20, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis is spending his first full day of a three day trip in Havana, Cuba before travelling to Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and then onwards to the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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HAVANA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 20: A boy climbs a tree to listen to a speech by Pope Francis following his visit to the Father Felix Varela cultural center on September 20, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. Pope Francis is on the first full day of his three day visit to Cuba where he will meet President Raul Castro and hold Mass in Revolution Square before travelling to Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and El Cobre then onwards to the United States. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
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HAVANA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 20: Pope Francis waves after making a speech to youngsters following a visit to the Father Felix Varela cultural center on September 20, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. Pope Francis is on the first full day of his three day visit to Cuba where he will meet President Raul Castro and hold Mass in Revolution Square before travelling to Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and El Cobre then onwards to the United States. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis (L) gives a morning mass at the Calixto Garcia square in Holguin, in eastern Cuba, on September 21, 2015. Holguin, a cradle of Catholic faith on the island and also the home region of communist leaders Fidel and Raul Castro, is the only stop on the pope's eight-day, six-city tour of Cuba and the United States that has never received a papal visit. AFP PHOTO / LUIS ACOSTA (Photo credit should read LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images)
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HOLGUIN, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 21: The Patron saint of Cuba the Virgin of Charity is brought into the Plaza de la Revolution before the arrival of Pope Francis who will hold a mass in the square on September 21, 2015 in Holguin, Cuba. Pope Francis is spending his second day of a three day trip in Holguin, Cuba after arriving in Havana, Cuba before heading onto Santiago de Cuba and then onwards to the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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HAVANA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 20: Pope Francis waves as he arrives at Havana Cathedral on September 20, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. Pope Francis is on the first full day of his three day visit to Cuba where he will meet President Raul Castro and hold Mass in Revolution Square before travelling to Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and El Cobre then onwards to the United States. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis is greeted by the crowd as he arrives to give a morning mass at the Calixto Garcia square in Holguin, in eastern Cuba, on September 21, 2015. Holguin, a cradle of Catholic faith on the island and also the home region of communist leaders Fidel and Raul Castro, is the only stop on the pope's eight-day, six-city tour of Cuba and the United States that has never received a papal visit. AFP PHOTO / LUIS ACOSTA (Photo credit should read LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis (C) leaves the altar at the end of an open mass at Calixto Garcia Square in Holguin, eastern Cuba, on September 21, 2015. Holguin, a cradle of Catholic faith on the island and also the home region of communist leaders Fidel and Raul Castro, is the only stop on the pope's eight-day, six-city tour of Cuba and the United States that has never received a papal visit. AFP PHOTO / LUIS ACOSTA (Photo credit should read LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images)
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HOLGUIN, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 21: Dozens of Cubans stand in front of the Hotel Pernik and use phones, tablets and laptops to get connected to the internet that has been provided for the press to cover the mass by Pope Francis,on September 21, 2015 in Holguin, Cuba. The Pope, who is on a 4 day visit to Cuba, met with Cubas president Raul Castro, Revolution leader Fidel Castro, and will and hold a final mass in Santiago de Cuba, El Cobre, from where he travel onwards to the United States. After John Paul II in 1998, Benedict XVI in 2012, Pope Francisco is the third consecutive Pope to visit Cuba.(Photo by Sven Creutzmann/Mambo photo/Getty Images)
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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pope Francis prepares to drive away in his Popemobile after leaving the cathedral where he held a mass and blessed the city on September 22, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis leaves for the United States after spending four days in Cuba. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Members of the Cuban Red Cross wait for Pope Francis to arrive at the basilica to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the patron saint of Cuba -- a mixed-race Mary that symbolizes the island's intertwined Spanish and African roots -- in the village of El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba, in eastern Cuba, on September 22, 2015. The pontiff's eight-day tour will also take him to the United States. The pope, who played a key role in brokering the two countries' recent rapprochement, will conclude his trip to Cuba with a mass and a blessing in second city Santiago, then depart for his first-ever visit to the United States. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis heads to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Santiago de Cuba, in eastern Cuba, to hold an encounter with families and bless the city, on September 22, 2015. The pope concludes his trip to Cuba with a mass and a blessing in the country's second city Santiago, then depart for his first-ever visit to the United States. AFP PHOTO / RODRIGO ARANGUA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images)
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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pope Francis holds a blessing of the city at the cathedral on September 22, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis leaves for the United States after spending four days in Cuba. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 22: People fill the square as they listen to Pope Francis hold a blessing of the city at the cathedral on September 22, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis leaves for the United States after spending four days in Cuba. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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