Pope Francis: Key role in US-Cuba deal

VATICAN CITY – The White House has thanked Pope Francis for his personal involvement in the historic agreement between the US and Cuba, which the pontiff declared a “noble” achievement on Thursday.
An enduring legacy of the cold war, the 55-year trade embargo and the ensuing fraught relations between the U.S and their closest Caribbean neighbour, took a dramatic turn on Wednesday afternoon. Barack Obama and Raul Castro simultaneously announced that the U.S are to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba, marking a “new chapter”, in the words of Obama.
Speaking ahead of the official announcement, a White House official revealed the important role played by Francis in the diplomatic mission. The pope, it has emerged, wrote letters to Obama and Castro during the summer to urge an improvement in relations.
The letter “gave us greater impetus and momentum for us to move forward,” revealed the official, adding that the Vatican were further involved in the following discussions, and that Vatican officials were “in those meetings”.
Speaking to a group of newly arrived ambassadors to the Vatican from a range of countries on Thursday, the pope discussed his “happiness” at the agreement. He said, “Today we are all happy, because we have seen how two peoples, who were distant for so many years, yesterday took a step closer,”
“The work of diplomats,” he added, “is a work of small steps, of small things, but which end up creating peace, bringing together the hearts of nations, spreading fraternity between peoples.”