Madrid/Rome/American diplomats Mike Hammerhead of the United States mission in Havana, and Brian Burch, ambassador to the Holy See, met this Friday in Rome with the Vatican secretary for Relations with States, Paul Richard Gallagher, to talk about the situation in Cuba and the “important role” of the Catholic Church on the Island.
The US Embassy to the Holy See reported on your social network account of Hammer’s visit to Rome “to discuss with the Vatican and the Vatican’s Latin American partners the Trump Administration’s support for the aspirations of the Cuban people to live in freedom.”
Both held another meeting with ambassadors to the Holy See from several Latin American countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Costa Rica, with whom they spoke about “how to work together and with the Church to support the desire of the Cuban people to have economic opportunities and freedom.”
Hammer and Burch met with representatives of Cáritas International, with whom they discussed the “direct” aid sent by Trump to the Cuban people
In addition, Hammer and Burch met with representatives of Caritas International, with whom they discussed “how the Trump Administration is directly supporting the Cuban people by delivering humanitarian aid through the Catholic Church.”
The relationship between the United States and Cuba is at a point of maximum tension, in the middle of the energy blockade imposed by the Donald Trump Administration, after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and threats with tariffs on those who supply crude oil to the Island.
He Pope Leo XIV recently asked Washington and Havana for “sincere and effective dialogue to avoid violence and any action that could increase the suffering of the Cuban people.” Due to the lack of fuel for planes, the island’s bishops announced the cancellation of the trip they had planned to the Vatican, for the traditional visit Ad Limina Apostolarumin which every five years they present a report to the Supreme Pontiff on the situation of their dioceses and which on this occasion would be held between February 16 and 20.
With this, the first meeting of the prelates with the new Pope was put on hold. However, this same Friday, and without prior announcement, the Pope received in audience the bishop of Guantánamo and Baracoa, Silvano Pedroso Montalvo. According to reports the ACI Prensa agency“the Vatican Press Office did not give further details of this meeting, which was not planned.”
