A Catholic church service is held at Christo Rey on March 22 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Fourteen years after Pope John Paul II visited Cuba, Pope Benedict is scheduled to arrive into the communist country on Monday, March 26. Benedict, who will be arriving from Mexico, will conduct a mass in the city of Santiago de Cuba followed by a mass in Havana. Tensions are high in Cuba between dissidents and the government as activists hope the international exposure of the papal visit will result in renewed attention to their struggle for greater freedoms.
Members of Germany's elite police unit, the Spezialeinsatzkommando, or SEK, rappel from a helicopter during a media event on March 20 in Minden, Germany. The SEK is the special response team of Germany's state police force and typically deploys in high-risk situations, such as bank robberies, hostage takings, and the arrest of armed and dangerous fugitives.
