Vatican No 2 hopes to meet Cuba's Raul Castro

The most senior official in the Vatican after the Pope said he hopes to meet Cuba's acting president Raul Castro during a February visit to the communist-run island.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, said his trip was at least partly related to commemorations of the 10th anniversary of late Pope John Paul II's landmark trip to Cuba in 1998.

"I am preparing a trip to Cuba in the month of February. I hope to meet the brother of Fidel Castro, who now leads the country," Bertone told the prominent Italian Catholic magazine, Famiglia Cristiana.

His interview was released to media before publication in the Jan. 6 edition.

After the 1959 revolution in Cuba, Catholics faced the expulsion of priests and decades of official atheism.

The island's Christians were greatly cheered by the visit of John Paul II, who met President Fidel Castro and urged Cuba to allow more political freedom.

Bertone did not say if he also hoped to speak with Fidel, who has not been seen in public since handing power to his brother Raul after undergoing surgery more than 17 months ago.

Bertone said he planned to bless a monument that Cubans were going to inaugurate in honour of the late Pope's visit. He called the inauguration "a positive event".

The Catholic Church is the only major institution in Cuba that is not controlled by the state. It has not been allowed to build new churches, play a role in education or gain access to radio broadcasting.

About 60 percent of Cubans are baptised by the Catholic Church, though the number of practising Catholics is low.