The Ladies in White are a protest group in Cuba. The group is made up of the wives of formerly detained political prisoners, and it is also the only protest group allowed by the Cuban government. Pope Benedict is coming to Cuba on an official papal visit, and the Ladies were marching to call on the Pope to call on Cuba to renounced communism. So the government threw most of them in jail …
From the article:
Ladies in White leader Berta Soler has said her group would like to meet briefly with the pope to discuss human rights in Cuba. She was not at the Sunday march because she was among those detained beforehand.
Church authorities said last week a visit with dissidents was not on the pope’s program.
The Cuban government views dissidents as “mercenaries” in the pay of the United States, its longtime ideological foe.