Cuban President Fidel Castro has ordered three days of official state mourning for Pope John Paul, an unusual move for the Communist nation.

The Cuban leader also suspended planned Communist youth festivities as well as the finals of the national baseball league.

Church bells tolled for over 30 minutes late Saturday, after the pope's death was announced at the Vatican.

John Paul was the only pope ever to visit Cuba, in 1998, and he has been praised by Havana for what members of the Castro government saw as the church leader's opposition to "neo-liberal capitalism."