(CNN)Days
before a stop in Cuba on his way to the United States, Pope Francis on Thursday
told young people from both countries that government heads who fail to plant
the seeds of future leadership are "worthless ... dictators."
Francis, who was elected in 2013, has been credited
for being the chief advocate for renewing diplomatic ties between Washington
and Havana.
The Pope on Thursday responded from the Vatican to
questions from students in Havana and New York during a CNN en Español
teleconference on his Scholas initiative, which seeks to bring young people
together via sports, art and technology.
The quotable Pope: Some of
his more surprising sayings
Asked by a Cuban student about the example of his
leadership, Francis said, "I will tell you one thing, a good leader is one
who is capable of bringing up other leaders. If a leader wants to lead alone,
he is a tyrant. True leadership is fruitful. Each one of you has the seed of
leadership."
He added, "The leaders of today will not be here
tomorrow. If they do not plant the seed of leadership in others, they are
worthless. They are dictators."
Francis, the first pope from Latin America, earned
praise from both U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro
for helping restart relations between the neighboring countries.
In July, the two countries reopened embassies in
Havana and Washington.
Pope Francis' whirlwind tour to Cuba and the United
States begins Saturday, when he arrives in Havana for a trip that includes mass
at Revolution Square, a meeting with government officials and a visit to the
Shrine of Our Lady of Charity del Cobre, the island's patron saint.
The Pope will be the third consecutive leader of the
Roman Catholic Church to visit Cuba. St. John Paul II stopped there for several
days in 1998, and Pope Benedict XVI visited for three days in 2012.
Relations between the Vatican and Cuba, strained
during the 49-year rule of communist dictator Fidel Castro, have improved since
the younger Castro replaced his sickly brother as president.
