The decision was communicated to Pope Francis earlier this month in a letter from Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel, who indicated that the release of prisoners was made “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025.”
A statement from Cuba’s foreign ministry notes that the prisoner release takes place in the context of the “close and fluid relations with the Vatican State” and outlines contacts between the country and the Vatican over the course of the past few years.
The statement notes in particular the meeting between Pope Francis and President Díaz-Canel in August 2022, in which the plight of prisoners, as well as US policy was discussed.
US lifts designation of Cuba as ‘state sponsor of terrorism’
Cuba’s announcement follows an announcement by the White House that President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his intent to lift the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism as part of a deal facilitated by the Church. The prisoners are expected to be released in the coming days and weeks, with some being granted their freedom before Biden’s term ends on 20 January.
Cuba’s statement said the country maintains “a respectful, frank, and constructive relationship with the Vatican and the Supreme Pontiff, which facilitates decisions such as the one recently taken.”
Pope Francis’ Jubilee appeal for release of prisoners
In his Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis proposed that “governments undertake initiatives aimed at restoring hope; forms of amnesty or pardon meant to help individuals regain confidence in themselves and in society; and programmes of reintegration in the community, including a concrete commitment to respect for law.”
Prisoner releases have also marked previous relations with the Popes. In 1998, when St John Paul II visited the island, Fidel Castro released around 200 people. Thousands of prisoners were granted their freedom on the eve of Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, and about 3,500 more ahead of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey in 2015.
In December 2014, diplomatic relations between Washington and were restored, with then-US President Barack Obama and Cuban counterpart Raúl Castro thanking Pope Francis for his contribution in reaching the agreement.
