From the revolutionary José Marti to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Pope Francis evoked hallowed symbols of the Cuban people as he arrived Saturday in a country that is mostly Catholic but has relatively few churchgoers after more than five decades of communist rule.

Pope Francis hailed detente between the United States and Cuba as a model of reconciliation for the world, urging Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro to persevere in building normal ties as the pontiff launched a 10-day tour of the former Cold War foes Saturday.

The United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) has issued a management plan to guide preservation and sustainable development initiatives in the Zona Colonial district of the Dominican Republic’s historic capital city of Santo Domingo.

Thompson Playa Del Carmen, which will open in Riviera Maya this fall, has named Julian Smaldoni as its General Manager.

Melia Hotels and Resorts has named Dimitris Kosvogiannis as general manager of its soon-to-open Melia Braco Village resort in Jamaica. The 226-room, colonial-design resort is slated to open in December.

Pope Francis travels to Havana, on Saturday at the start of his ten day visit to Cuba, the United States and the United Nations in New York. The first part of that pastoral journey will take him to the Cuban capital and then on to the cities of Holguin and Santiago de Cuba on the south-eastern tip of the island, where he’ll rededicate the Caribbean country to Our Lady of Charity of ‘El Cobre’.