SANTIAGO, Cuba (AP) — This sun- scorched city is accustomed to playing second fiddle to Havana at the other end of Cuba. Today, Santiago de Cuba gets a real day in the sun because Pope Benedict XVI is beginning his Cuba trip here.

Authorities have built huge steel arches in the shape of a papal miter above a blue-andwhite temporary altar where Benedict will celebrate Mass today and urge residents of this communist-run country to seek salvation in faith.

Roman Catholic youth held a prayer vigil Sunday night to celebrate the pontiff ’s arrival, and workers buzzed about Revolution Square putting final touches on the stage, testing power cables and setting out chairs under the direction of priests. Some people hung welcome posters in their windows.

The pope’s decision to make this city on the eastern end of Cuba his first stop on the island has ensured the world’s spotlight will be fixed on this coastal city of a half million inhabitants that is often overlooked by outsiders.

“As a Santiagan, I am very proud to be able to receive him with joy,” said 35-year-old Luzmilka Barza. Although she described herself as only “a little bit Catholic,” she said that “it will be something that moves us all for a person such as him to visit.”