Spanish/Eng/Nat In an exclusive interview with APTV, Fidel Castro's renegade sister has spoken about her brother and the visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba. Juanita Castro, who lives in Miami, left Cuba in 1963 - at odds with the Marxist ideology introduced there by her brother. On Wednesday, she - like (m) millions of others around the world - watched as the Pope and the president met on Cuban soil. At home in a wealthy suburb of Miami, Juanita Castro watched as her brother - Cuba's president - welcomed the Pontiff in Havana. Most of Castro's sisters are still in Cuba. Another is in Mexico. Juanita herself could not live under the Communist regime - she packed her bags and left in 1963. She says she never wants to go back while Castro is in power. She never speaks to her brother, never visits. For her, more than most in Miami, watching the live pictures from Havana prompted mixed emotions. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "It was my brother who I saw. But the reality is that my brother is Cuba's dictator - I suppose because of his position, because of his behaviour, because of the way he has managed the country during the last 38, 39 years. However, I have never stopped thinking of him as my brother, not as a political leader." SUPER CAPTION: Juanita Castro, Fidel Castro's sister She hopes the visit by Pope John Paul II will inspire change. SOUNDBITE:(Spanish) "It is very difficult to tell you what Fidel is capable of doing now, at this time, when the situation in the country reflects the peoples unhappiness. Who knows? Hopefully the Pope is able to get from him many things. Among them the liberation of many political prisoners. That would be great. At least it would be one of the important steps that could come out of this. I hope the Pope is able to achieve it." SUPER CAPTION: Juanita Castro, Fidel Castro's sister On the hour, every hour, the bells at Miami's Corpus Christi church will ring out during the Papal visit. Many Cuban exiles in Miami went to pray as the Pontiff landed in Havana, most appearing oblivious to the live television pictures beamed into the Church. During his flight from Italy, the Pope said the U-S embargo against Cuba should change - but political analysts don't predict rapid change as a result of his historic visit. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The visit of the Pope does not mean that Fidel Castro now has seen the light and turned to Christianity and is going to open up Cuba because this is not the nature of the leader and we have to understand there are leaders in this world that are committed to their ideology whether it's fanaticism, whether it's religion and they are not going to change." SUPER CAPTION: Jaime Suchlicki, Professor of History and International Studies, University of Miami Nevertheless, the prayers of those exiled in Miami are that there will be change and - in their words - Cuba will be "free". You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/82079e29553df766d669cd7b04ddfea8 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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