Cuban President Fidel Castro sent the Vatican his government's "heartfelt" condolences for the death of Pope John Paul II.
"Humanity will keep an emotional memory of His Holiness John Paul II's tireless work for peace, justice and solidarity between all peoples," he said.
The Cuban government has decreed three days of official mourning and suspended baseball games and other festivities.
Catholic Church officials were surprised by the extent of the measures to mourn the Pope and hoped they were a sign of improved relations with Cuba's communist government.
Castro recalled the Pope's historic visit to Cuba in 1998, which he said "will remain engraved in the memory of our nation as a transcendental moment in the relations between the Vatican state and the Republic of Cuba."