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The Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, stated that the Holy See has taken "the necessary steps" regarding the situation in Cuba, with the aim of promoting a solution based on dialogue, as reported by ACI Prensa.
The senior Vatican diplomat explained that recent contacts have taken place with representatives of the Cuban government amid a context of diplomatic movements around the island.
“Also for Cuba, we have done what we needed to do, we have met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and we have taken the necessary steps, always aiming for a dialogue-based solution to the existing problems,” stated Parolin in remarks to several media outlets, including Vatican News, reported by ACI Prensa.
The cardinal's statements were made on March 9 in Rome, during the second edition of the interreligious initiative Il Tavolo del Ramadan–Iftar, a gathering that brings together Christian, Jewish, and Muslim representatives.
The comment from the head of Vatican diplomacy comes after several recent contacts between the Vatican, Cuban authorities, and U.S. representatives. On February 28, Pope Leo XIV received the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who visited the Vatican as a special envoy of Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel.
After the meeting, Rodríguez Parrilla publicly thanked the pontiff on the social network X. "I am deeply grateful to His Holiness Leo XIV for the honor of having received me in audience as Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Cuba," he wrote.
Days before that meeting, on February 20, the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, Mike Hammer, also held a meeting in Rome with the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, where they discussed the situation in Cuba and the role of the Catholic Church within Cuban society.
After that meeting, Hammer told ACI Prensa that Cuba is going through a decisive moment and expressed his hope that the country can soon achieve freedom. “If there is freedom, there will be no suffering because there will be the necessary change. How will it happen? Well, that's what we are working on,” the U.S. diplomat stated.
In parallel, movements have also emerged from the Cuban exile community. On March 2, a group of activists in Miami led by Rosa María Payá, founder of Cuba Decide and daughter of the late opposition figure Oswaldo Payá, presented the so-called "Liberation Agreement for Cuba," a proposal that outlines ten steps to restore democracy and the rule of law on the island.
The Vatican has historically played a significant role in mediation processes related to Cuba. One of the most recent examples occurred during the administration of former President Joe Biden, when the Holy See facilitated diplomatic efforts that led to the release of 553 prisoners on the island in exchange for Cuba's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Parolin's words come amidst a moment of intense diplomatic contacts regarding the future of Cuba and the possible role of the Catholic Church as a channel for dialogue among various international actors.
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