(VOVworld) - Cuban President Raul Castro thanked Pope Francis I for his great contributions to restoring US-Cuban diplomatic ties at an audience at the Vatican on Sunday.

Pope Francis I meets Cuban President Raul Castro during a private audience at the Vatican (Photo:yahoo)

According to Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, the two men discussed preparations for Pope Francis I’s upcoming visit to Cuba in September, the third papal visit to Cuba following visits by Pope John Paul II in 1996 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

At a joint press conference with the Cuban President on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi expressed his belief that cooperation will soon enter a new chapter. Castro said Cuban-Italian relations are perfect.