Pope, Xi visits: Signs of changing times for US

SOMEONE has posted on the Internet a prediction that Cuban leader Fidel Castro supposedly made in 1973, that "the US will come to talk to us when they have a black president and the world has a Latin American Pope" (http:// m.snopes.com/fidel-castro-prophecy-quote/ ).

In response, many sceptics online have challenged the authenticity of this "prophecy". But even if the Cuban dictator never actually uttered those words, the notion that the decision to renew diplomatic ties between Washington and Havana was more than just a smart diplomatic move but a reflection of dramatic changes in American politics and the global balance of power makes a lot of sense.

Indeed, the visit by the Latin American Pope Francis to the United States where he was welcomed by the African-American President Barack Obama and greeted by large crowds that included members of the growing Hispanic population in the country, was a sign that, as singer Bob Dylan put it once, "The Times They Are a-Changin".