cuban president raoul castro has ped pope francis at the vatican. he thanked the pope for the role between the u.s. and cuba. the first south american pope mediated during secret negotiations which led to the resemption remainsumption of tries between the two countries. he expressed his admiration from remains for pope francis. >> i said if the pope continues to talk as he does sooner or later, i will start praying again and return to the catholic church, and i am not kidding. i am a communist, a cuban communist party did not allow it. but it is being allowed now. it is a step forward. >> still ahead for you on al jazeera, thousands of migrants risk their lives crossing the mediterranean, we reveal the shocking fate some of them suffer. and the talibantable claims responsibility for a details on the story coming up as well. ♪ >> welcome back to al jazeera. let's update you on the top stories. opposing forces in yemen could be inching closer to a cease-fire deal. houthi rebels say they will respond positively to efforts to end the suffering of the ye

and the pope and the president, raoul castro said the catholic leader could persuade him to return to

. >>> pope francis welcomed cuban president raoul castro to the vatican this morning.to renew diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba. after this morning's private meeting castro told reporters he thanked the pope for what he did. pope francis will visit cuba in september before his u.s. trip and his stop in philadelphia. count on nbc 10 to bring you updates as the papal visit gets closer. you can get alerts trite your smart phone or tablet with the nbc news app. >>> wee we all know today is mother's day. did you know the holiday started right here in philadelphia? this plaque outside city hall tells the story. anna jarvis found mother's day, which was first officially observed in 1908. mother's day was given federal recognition in 1914. >>> here's a great way to celebrate mother's day. how about brunch in riten house square? families treated moms to a delicious meal at 18th and locust streets. a great day to be outside with mom on her special day. ♪ a musical tribute to moms in center city. the cathedral of about silica of the saints peter and paul hosted a mother's

. >>> and at the vatican, cuban leader raoul castro met with pope francis for nearly an hour.f for helping to broker diplomatic relations between his country and the united states. the two spoke spanish during their meeting. castro promised the catholic leader a warm welcome when he visits in september. >>> still ahead, we'll turn back to the breaking news overnight. a series of tornados hit several states and the threat isn't over today. crews are still looking for 10 people missing in a small texas town. we'll have the latest on the search next. and saudi snub? the king says he's skipping a key summit this week with president obama. we'll get a live report from the white house coming up here on "the rundown." so was the 100% electric e-golf. and the 45 highway mpg tdi clean diesel. and last but not least the high performance gti. looks like we're gonna need a bigger podium. the volkswagen golf family. motor trend's 2015 "cars" of the year. and when you bundle your home and auto insurance through progressive, you'll save a bundle! [ laughs ] jamie. right. make a bad bundle jo