Havana ? The founder of a New York-based church group that opposes the U.S. embargo of Cuba said Thursday that former Cuban President Fidel Castro looked strong and animated during a July 31 meeting.

The Rev. Lucius Walker Jr. of Pastors for Peace told The Associated Press he met for several hours with Castro at a Havana-area home while he was in Cuba to organize a humanitarian aid shipment. Pastors for Peace posted two photos of the meeting on its Web site to coincide with Castro’s 83rd birthday Thursday.

“He looked good, like he had gained weight, was sharp and articulate. I hadn’t seen him for three or four years,” Walker said by telephone from New York. “He showed tremendous signs of recovery from a very serious illness.”

Castro ceded power to his brother, Raul, after he fell ill three years ago and has not been seen in public since. He stepped down as president in February 2008.