At a time of upheaval in Cuba's ruling elite, and with pressure mounting to break the impasse in relations with the United States, the Catholic Church on the island is urging a "national dialogue".

A dozen Christian leaders in the United States are asking President-Elect Barack Obama to ease travel restrictions to Cuba, which hinder church relations between the countries.

In the latest sign of a warming of relations between Russia and Cuba, President Raul Castro has attended the consecration of Cuba's first Russian Orthodox church in the capital, Havana.

Church and community groups across the USA are preparing to assist those who may be displaced by Hurricane Gustav, as it heads towards the city that was torn apart under the strain of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

As Cubans absorbed the news that communist leader Fidel Castro had stepped down, Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque, prepared to welcome Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, as he visits the country.

Senior US Christian leaders are pressing the Bush administration and Congress to end current bans on travel to Cuba, calling on both the Houses of Representatives and Senate to support bipartisan legislation in favour of cultural and religious freedom.

Many Christians recognise that the development of the Gospel has implied taking responsibility for other human beings and human rights, says the general secretary of the Latin American Council of Churches.