Che Guevara's daughter does not accept the Communist Party's call for its members to attend the Pope's Mass.

Aleida Guevara, daughter of the revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara, refuses to attend the mass that Pope Francis will officiate this Sunday in downtown Havana.

In statements to AFP, Guevara explained that he does not accept the call from the Communist Party of Cuba for its militants to attend the mass.

In his opinion, being present at the mass is "hypocritical." "My dad is there because he is a symbol of this country," he recalled in reference to the large image of Che's face that adorns the Ministry of the Interior in Revolution Square, the chosen place for the mass.

Guevara, 54, was born and lives in Cuba. He is a doctor and a prominent activist of the Communist Party.

"I am going to welcome the Pope as a visitor, I think it's correct because he is coming to my home and I will receive him with the best I have, that is logical. But going to a mass, no, because here there is freedom of belief and I do not believe, therefore I have no reason to go," stated Guevara.

Pope Francis arrived in Havana this Saturday as part of his tour to Cuba and the United States. It is the first time he visits both countries.

The papal tour is taking place in the midst of a thaw in relations between the two countries sponsored by diplomacy led by the pontiff.

The Vatican has expressed its hope that Francis' visit will lead to the end of the U.S. embargo on Cuba.