Cuban President Fidel Castro's praise of Pope John Paul II and his attendance at a Mass in the pontiff's honor -- a rare sighting of the Cuban leader inside a church -- filled the front pages of the island's state-run newspapers Tuesday.

Roman Catholic officials in Cuba have expressed gratitude and even surprise at the communist government's response to the pope's death. Anniversary celebrations for political organizations and baseball games were canceled and all bars and nightclubs closed as the government observed three days of mourning.

"Rest in peace, tireless fighter for friendship among peoples, enemy of war and friend of the poor," Castro wrote Monday in a condolence book for the pope at the Vatican's mission in Havana.

Accompanied by his younger brother and designated successor, Defense Minister Raul Castro, the president also recalled John Paul as an "unforgettable friend" who would be remembered on the island for speaking out against the U.S. trade embargo during a 1998 visit.

"This earned you the gratitude and the affection of all Cubans forever," Castro wrote.

The Cuban president, dressed in a dark suit and tie, later traveled to the Havana cathedral for the Mass celebrated by the island's highest-ranking Roman Catholic prelate, Cardinal Jaime Ortega.

Church officials said it was the first time Castro had been inside the cathedral in decades, with one of the last occasions being his sister's wedding in 1959.

Source: Agencies