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Pope Francis Played A Major Role In U.S.-Cuba Deal

Pope Francis Played A Major Role In U.S.-Cuba Deal
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VAYICAN CITY, VATICAN - DECEMBER 17: Pope Francis looks on during his general audience at St Peter's square on December 17, 2014 at the Vatican. People gather today in St Peter's square to celebrate Pope Francis 78th birthday at the end of the audience. (Photo by Evren Atalay/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

American subcontractor Alan Gross returned home on Wednesday after five years of incarceration in Cuba on smuggling charges -- and many say Pope Francis played a large role in his release.

The Vatican released a statement on Wednesday celebrating the news of Gross' release. The full statement read:

The Holy Father wishes to express his warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history.

In recent months, Pope Francis wrote letters to the President of the Republic of Cuba, His Excellency Mr Raúl Castro, and the President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama, and invited them to resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations between the two Parties.

The Holy See received Delegations of the two countries in the Vatican last October and provided its good offices to facilitate a constructive dialogue on delicate matters, resulting in solutions acceptable to both Parties.

The Holy See will continue to assure its support for initiatives which both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the wellbeing of their respective citizens.

In his remarks on Wednesday, President Obama thanked Pope Francis for his support in brokering a deal with Cuba, which included hosting the final negotiation meeting at the Vatican and personally issuing a letter to Cuban President Raúl Castro and Obama urging them to resolve the Gross case. A senior administration official said it was “very rare” to receive such a direct appeal.

In a statement Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski situated the pope's actions in a long line of Catholic peacekeeping efforts, saying:

"Pope Francis did what popes are supposed to do: Build bridges and promote peace. He acted much like his namesake, Francis of Asissi, who during the fifth crusade, went to Egypt to meet with the Sultan al Kamil in the interest of peace."

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Before You Go

Popes Who Shook The World
Saint Peter(01 of17)
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The crucifixion of Peter in Rome was a foundational event for the theology of the papacy. In this Jesuit depiction, that point is made by the presence of the dome of St. Peter's on the skyline of first-century Rome.(Photo: Julius Goltzius after Maerten de Voz, The Crucifixion of St. Peter, c. 1590. British Museum, © The Trustees of the British Museum.) (credit:The Trustees of the British Museum)
Pope Sixtus V(02 of17)
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The pink granite Egyptian obelisk erected in A.D. 37 in the Vatican circus by Caligula was moved to its present position in the centre of St. Peter's Square by Pope Sixtus V in 1586. It was traditionally believed to be the last object seen by the dying St. Peter.(Photo: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, View of the Basilica and the Piazza of St. Peter's, Vatican, 1760, © The Trustees of the British Museum.) (credit:The Trustees of the British Museum)
Pope Leo I (03 of17)
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Pope Leo I meeting Attila the Hun.(Photo: Alessandro Algardi, The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila, 17th century. St Peter's basilica, Vatican, Scala, Florence.) (credit:Vatican)
Saint Gregory(04 of17)
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St. Gregory at his writing desk, ivory panel, 10th century. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. (credit:Kunsthistorisches Museum)
Synod of Whitby(05 of17)
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British divisions over the dating of Easter and other issues were resolved in favor of the Roman practices at the synod of Whitby in A.D. 664, though all trace of the buildings in which the synod was held have long since disappeared.(Photo: Whitby Abbey, photographed and printed by Valentine & Sons Ltd., Dundee, c. 1900, Courtesy of East Cleveland Image Archives.) (credit:East Cleveland Image Archives)
Pope Innocent III(06 of17)
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The dream of Innocent III, in which a ragged poor man supported the collapsing Church of Rome, was claimed by both Dominican and Franciscan friars as a prophecy of the role of the mendicant orders in the renewal of the Church in the 13th century.(Photo: Illustration to Erasmus Alber, L'Alcoran des Cordeliers, 1734, © The Trustees of the British Museum.) (credit:The Trustees of the British Museum)
Pope Paul III(07 of17)
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Antonio Dalco after Titian, Pope Paul III, 19th century. (credit:bpk, Berlin)
St. Ignatius of Loyola(08 of17)
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Paul III approved the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, founded by the Catalan soldier Ignatius Loyola. Within a generation, the Jesuits would become the cutting edge of a resurgent Catholicism.(Photo: Hieronymus Wierix, St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1619. British Museum, © The Trustees of the British Museum.) (credit:The Trustees of the British Museum)
First Vatican Council(09 of17)
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The convening of the First Vatican Council, which met in the shadow of the annexation of Rome by Victor Emmanuel, was the last great manifestation of Papal Rome.(Photo: Pio Nono's blessing at St Peter's during the First Vatican Ecumenical Council, December 1869.) (credit:akg-images/ De Agostini)
Blessed John Henry Newman(10 of17)
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The future Cardinal, Blessed John Henry Newman, deplored the dogmatic extremism of Pio Nono's pontificate: "It is not good for a pope to live 20 years," he wrote, "he becomes a god, and he has no-one to contradict him."(Photo: John Henry Newman, 19th century, © Michael Nicholson/ Corbis.) (credit:Michael Nicholson/Corbis)
Pope Pius XII(11 of17)
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Postcard depicting Pius XII and St. Peter's square, 1946. (credit:Getty Images)
Pope John XXIII(12 of17)
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The pontificate of John XXIII transformed ecumenical relationships with the Churches of the Reformation. The visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the Vatican in 1961 followed hard on the heels of a visit the same year by the Archbishop of Canterbury, inaugurating the closer relations with the Church of England.(Photo: John XXIII with Queen Elizabeth II, January 1961.) (credit:Hank Walker/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
Pope John's Council(13 of17)
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Pope John's Council, conducted in the full glare of global media attention, was arguably the most significant event in the Christian history since the Reformation of the 16th century.(Photo: Life magazine, December 1965.) (credit:Ralph Crane/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)
Pope John Paul II(14 of17)
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John Paul II was passionately committed to cooperation between the world's religions. His willingness to pray with non-Christians alarmed some of his theological advisers.(Photo: John Paul II with the Dalai Lama, Spiritual Chief of Tibetan Buddhists, New Delhi, February 1986.) (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Pope John Paul II(15 of17)
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John Paul II returned to Poland the year after his election. Despite government attempts to marginalize the visit, a third of the population turned out to see Wojtyla, and the Pope's presence provided the impetus for the foundation of the Solidarity union, and the movement for Polish liberation.(Photo: John Paul II addresses citizens of Czestochowa outside the Holy Family Cathedral, June 1979.) (credit:Yale University Press)
Pope Benedict XVI(16 of17)
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Effective diplomacy and recognition of the Church's influence over more than a billion Catholics worldwide have gained the popes a unique -- and sometimes controversial -- voice in international affairs.(Photo: Benedict XVI addresses the general assembly at the United Nations in New York, April 2008.) (credit:Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Pope Pius IX(17 of17)
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(credit:Scala, Florence)
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