Convalescing Pope Francis holds talks with Cuba’s president at Vatican

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis, in his first full week back at the Vatican following abdominal surgery, has met with Cuba’s president. The Holy See’s announcement on Tuesday of the private meeting with President Miguel Diaz-Canel gave no details of their talks. Francis visited Cuba in 2015, as part of the Vatican’s drive to improve international relations with the communist-led Caribbean nation. That quest included a groundbreaking visit in 1998 by the then-pontiff, John Paul II. Doctors have urged the 86-year-old Francis to pace himself, as he recovers from the June 7 operation to repair a hernia and remove painful scarring from previous surgeries. Heeding their advice, Francis won’t hold his traditional Wednesday morning audience with pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square.