Pope Leo XIV has called for “sincere and effective dialogue” between all parties for the benefit of the Cuban people, amid escalating tensions between Cuba and the United States, Vatican News reported.
Addressing the Angelus on Sunday, the Pope conveyed his “great concern” about the situation. “I join the message of the Cuban Bishops, inviting all those responsible to promote sincere and effective dialogue, in order to avoid violence and any action that could increase the suffering of the beloved Cuban people,” he said, according to Vatican News.
On Saturday, the Catholic Bishops of Cuba issued a message “to all Cubans of goodwill,” expressing their worries about the worsening economic, social, and humanitarian conditions in the country. “Cuba needs changes, and they are increasingly urgent, but it does not need any more anguish or pain,” the Bishops wrote. “No more blood and no more mourning in Cuban families. We have had too much of that in our recent history!”
The Bishops expressed their hope for a “renewed, prosperous, and happy Cuba,” but emphasised that such progress must not come at the cost of increased suffering, according to Vatican News.
They highlighted the impact of US tariffs on countries exporting oil to Cuba, stating, “the risk of social chaos is real.”
Referring to the position of the Pope and the Holy See, the Bishops said, “The unchanging position of the Pope and of the Holy See, consistent with International Law, is that governments should be able to resolve their disagreements and conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, not coercion or war.”
However, they added, “respect for the dignity and the exercise of the freedom of each human being within one’s own nation cannot be subordinated or conditioned by the variables of external conflicts,” as quoted by Vatican News.
The Cuban Bishops also called for “an environment of healthy plurality and mutual respect” within Cuba, noting that these factors contribute directly to fruitful international exchange.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned US President Donald Trump’s efforts to “suffocate” Cuba’s sanctions-hit economy, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday threatening additional tariffs on countries that export oil to Cuba. The order described the government of communist-run Cuba as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security, according to Al Jazeera.