Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone appealed for a ``new impetus'' in relations between Cuba and the Roman Catholic Church after the resignation of Fidel Castro.

I appeal ``in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding, that the church can complete its mission, strictly pastoral, with due freedom,'' Bertone, Pope Benedict XVI's foreign minister, told Cuban bishops yesterday in a speech delivered in Spanish to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of John Paul II visit. ``The pope knows well the situation of the Cuban Church and he has it very much in his heart and his prayers.''

Bertone, on his third trip to the Caribbean island, is the first state official to visit Cuba since Castro stepped down on Feb. 19 as president and commander-in-chief of Cuba after almost 50 years of Communist dictatorship. John Paul II's 1998 message, ``Cuba must open up to the world and the world must open up to Cuba,'' was seen then as an attack on the U.S. economic embargo.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton yesterday disagreed over how they would handle the possibility of meeting with the new leader of Cuba, Raul Castro. Obama, 46, an Illinois senator, said he would meet with Raul Castro ``without preconditions.'' Clinton, 60, a New York senator, said Cuba's leadership must prove that its policies are changing.

Castro, 81, began transferring day-to-day control to his 76- year-old brother in July 2006 after undergoing surgery.

Bertone may meet with Raul Castro during his six-day visit.

To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in Rome at fjackson@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 22, 2008 04:01 EST