Vatican diplomacy bore dramatic fruit on Sunday, March 20, when Barack Obama became the first President of the United States to set foot in Cuba since Calvin Coolidge visited the Caribbean Island in 1928.
Given how both the US and Cuba have thanked the Holy See for having played a crucial role in the current thaw in relations between the two countries, which have been at odds since Cuba’s 1959 revolution, it was not surprising that Mr Obama visited Havana’s cathedral shortly after meeting staff at the country’s American embassy.
Schedule
Although the Sunday evening visit to the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception did not form part of the president’s official schedule, which began on Monday, it was announced beforehand by US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes.
The Obama family would be hosted by Havana’s archbishop, Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, Mr Rhodes said. “The cardinal, along with Pope Francis, was particularly helpful in supporting the agreement on December 17 [2014] to normalise relations,” he continued, adding, “That will also provide the opportunity to mark the important role of the Catholic Church in the lives of the Cuban people, and in the increasing relations between our two countries.”
Cardinal Ortega, who the Castro regime had imprisoned in a labour camp in 1967 as part of the regime’s attempt to suppress Catholicism, had with Pope Francis played an important role in bringing about the December 2014 agreement between the US and Cuba to work towards normalising relations.
Intention
In announcing the intention to normalise relations with Cuba, Mr Obama thanked Pope Francis for having encouraged this development.
A US official explained that the Pontiff wrote to President Obama and to President Raul Castro “encouraging the United States and Cuba to pursue a closer relationship”, adding, “The Vatican then hosted the US and Cuban delegations where we were able to review the commitments that we are making today”.
It is understood that Cardinal Ortega, was present during a key meeting in Rome in October 2014 when the US-Cuba deal was arranged. It has also been speculated that – as the Pope’s special envoy to the celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the foundation of the Canadian parish Notre-Dame de Québec – he was involved in meetings in Canada between the US and Cuba.
In August 2015, he praised the “very promising” diplomatic thaw, and said the Church would play a part in the process. Speaking in advance of Mr Obama’s visit, he said: “This visit to Cuba is very significant. It has a practical importance because it will be of help to the development of the country, for the people.”