Cuba's Raul Castro Hails Pope Francis, Says He May Return to Fold of Catholic Church

Cuba's President Raul Castro indicated Sunday that he may go back to the fold of the Roman Catholic Church because of what Pope Francis has done, particularly in helping reopen ties between Cuba and the United States.

"I told the Prime Minister if the Pope continues to talk as he does, sooner or later I will start praying again and return to the Catholic Church, and I am not kidding," he said at a press conference after holding a private meeting with the Pope in the Vatican for nearly an hour, according to Reuters.

Castro asked the Vatican if he could meet Pope Francis during his stopover in Rome on his way back to Cuba from Moscow, Russia.

The Cuban leader said he thanked Pope Francis for helping in the resumption of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the U.S.

Castro said he was "really impressed by his wisdom and his modesty."

"When the Pope comes to Cuba in September, I promise to go to all his Masses and I will be happy to do so," he said.

Pope Francis is set to visit the U.S. and Cuba in September.

Castro said he was a Jesuit in a certain degree as he studied under the Jesuits before the 1959 revolution in Cuba.

The Catholic Church's activities were suppressed in Cuba after revolution but the government started loosening restrictions in the 1990s.

After the late Pope John Paul visited Cuba in 1989, Fidel Castro reinstated Christmas as a holiday in the country.

The Vatican announced last month that Pope Francis would visit Cuba before going to the U.S. This will be Pope Francis' first visit to the two countries as pontiff.

Cuba is set to be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

"We really should never have been on that list," Castro said.