VATICAN (SE): Pope Francis stepped outside of the usual protocol in expressing his condolences to the people and government of Cuba upon the death of its revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, in a telegramme to the current president on November 26.

The usual protocol at the Vatican when expressing condolences at the death of a national leader or past leader is a telegramme from the secretary of state on behalf of the pope.

HONG KONG (SE): “It is true that the rock of St. Peter, on which the Catholic Church was built, is solid and lasting. Throughout history, that institution has demonstrated its experience, its wisdom and its capacity to adapt to reality,” Brazilian Dominican, Father Carlos Alberto Libânio Christo, quotes Fidel Castro, the late president of Cuba who took power in a violent revolution in 1959, as saying in his book, Fidel and Religion.