Pope condemns Mexico's drug wars ahead of visit

Pope Benedict XVI has denounced drug-related violence in Mexico and urged young people to renounce it, ahead of his visit to the country.

On his way to Mexico, the Pope said it was vital "to fight this evil which destroys our young".

He spoke of teaching moral responsibility and ending "the worship of money which enslaves men".

After Mexico he will visit Cuba, where he said Marxism was no longer working.

He believes the ideology no longer corresponds to reality and called for "new models" to be found in a patient and constructive way.

He made it clear that "the Church is always on the side of freedom of thought and of religion".

Before he reaches Cuba the Pope will go to Silao, Leon and Guanajuato in Mexico.

Some 300,000 people are expected to attend Mass on Sunday and huge camp sites have been set up to give pilgrims somewhere to stay.

Pope Benedict said: "I share Mexicans' joy and hope but also their anguish and grief," referring to the country's drug related violence, which has taken 50,000 lives in the past five years.

He warned that young people were particularly vulnerable to the cartels, some of whom claim to be Catholic.

The Pope faces sensitive issues in Cuba.

This week the campaign group Amnesty International reported that life was getting harder for dissidents there.

Earlier this month, activists were evicted from a church they had occupied in the capital, Havana, demanding an audience with the Pope.