HAVANA - When Fidel Castro staged his first, failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government, Roman Catholic Archbishop Enrique Perez Serantes pleaded for the rebel leader's life to be saved.
After Castro took power, Serantes' support turned to opposition and the prelate's family fled. His family vowed never to return while Castro was in power.
Now formerly icy relations between the U.S. and Cuba are thawing and thousands of Cuban-American families are trying to finally put five decades of bitterness behind them. For many, the visit to Cuba of Pope Francis is the moment to return.
Among them is Serantes' great-niece, Frances Serantes Gomez. She flew to Havana on Friday with 250 mostly Cuban-Americans organized by the Archbishop of Miami.
