Pope Francis Had Integral Role In U.S.-Cuba Policy Change
Pope Francis reportedly played a key role in President Barack Obama's recent decision to re-open relations with Cuba following decades of enmity.
A Vatican statement claimed Wednesday that the pontiff played an integral role in joining the two countries together, reportedly writing private letters to both president Obama and Cuba's President Raul Castro, imploring the two leaders to set aside their differences and re-start relations.
The letters asked the two countries to "resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners," the Vatican said in the statement.
"The Holy See will continue to assure its support for initiatives which both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the well-being of their respective citizens," the statement added.
President Obama announced Wednesday that following decades of Cold War enmity, the U.S. will re-open relations with Cuba.
"I want to thank His Holiness, Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is," Obama said Wednesday during a speech from the White House.
The president went on to say that U.S. relations with Cuba are "outdated," adding that "Neither the American nor Cuban people are well served by a rigid policy that's rooted in events that took place before most of us were born."
"These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked. It's time for a new approach," the president added.
