In January 1998, although he was an anti-communist, Pope John Paul II paid a historic visit to the island, invited by the Cuban government and the Catholic Church in Cuba. The pope criticized the US embargo during his visit. Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba in 2012 and Pope Francis visited in 2015.[13] In a shift in policy, the Cuban government has issued permits to allow the construction of a new church in Cuba, the first since 1959.[2]