Pope Benedict is scheduled to fly to the Cuban capital of Havana today, a day after celebrating mass in the Cuban city of Santiago.

Pope Benedict: “One of the important fruits of that visit was the inauguration of a new phase in the relationship in Cuba between church and state, in a new spirit of cooperation and trust, even if many areas remain in which greater progress can and ought to be made, especially as regards the indispensable public contribution that religion is called to make in the life of society.”

The Pope is expected to preside over mass in Havana on Wednesday as part of the first papal visit to Cuba in 14 years. Opposition activists say dozens of dissidents were detained before the Pope’s visit.