Raul Castro Hints at Rejoining Catholic Church After Meeting Pope Francis

Cuba's President Raul Castro indicated this week that he would consider re-joining the Catholic Church following a meeting with Pope Francis.

Castro made his comments following a meeting with Francis at the Vatican on Sunday morning. The two leaders reportedly met for an hour before Castro departed for a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Following their meeting, which took place in Spanish, Castro said during a press conference that he was inspired by the pope's message and may soon return to the Catholic faith.

As CNN reports, Castro grew up attending Jesuit-run schools.

"As I've already told my council of advisers, I read all of the pope's speeches," he added. "If the Pope continues to speak like this, sooner or later I will start praying again and I will return to the Catholic Church -- and I'm not saying this jokingly."

"I promise that I will go to all of his Masses -- and with satisfaction. I left the meeting this morning impressed, very impressed by his knowledge, his wisdom, modesty, and by all the virtues that we know he has," Castro said.

During his press conference, Castro also thanked the pope for his role in brokering a renewed relationship between the U.S. and Cuba.

In December, the Vatican issued a statement saying the pontiff played an integral role in getting the two countries to renew relations, reportedly writing letters to both Castro and President Barack Obama, encouraging them to end their Cold War disagreement.

"I am very happy. I have come here to thank him for what he has done to begin solving the problems of the United States and Cuba," Castro said during the press conference.