The Cuban government invited Pope Leo XIV to visit the Island and took advantage of a meeting with journalists at the Holy See to once again call for the lifting of the economic embargo from the United States, just days before a new vote on the matter in the United Nations General Assembly.
The invitation was announced this Thursday by Leyde Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández, Cuba's ambassador to the Holy See, during a press conference in the Italian capital, as reported by the news agency ANSA.
The diplomat presented the Cuban regime's position against U.S. sanctions and highlighted the statements made by the Catholic Church regarding the tensions between Havana and Washington, within the context of diplomatic contacts between both nations and the Vatican.
"Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is. Cuba is not, in any way, a threat. We are a nation of peace; we want and deserve peace," asserted Rodríguez, following the regime's recurring rhetoric, according to the Italian agency.
The Brazilian edition of ANSA stated that the Vatican had not yet responded to the invitation, which means that there is no public acceptance from the pontiff nor a date announced for a possible visit to Cuba.
The statements from the Cuban representative came before the debate scheduled for October 27 and 28 at the UN General Assembly, where a resolution calling for an end to the US embargo against the Island will be reviewed again.
Rodríguez expressed his "confidence" that the initiative will receive widespread international support and denounced what he described as pressures from Washington to alter the voting stance of other countries.
During his speech, the diplomat from the Cuban regime attributed significant economic and social impacts to the U.S. sanctions and presented official figures from the Cuban government regarding their consequences.
According to the data presented, the damages attributed to the embargo between March 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026, amounted to 8.083 billion dollars, while the cumulative losses over decades would reach 178.7 billion dollars at current prices.
The ambassador also stated that about 7,000 containers remain in Caribbean ports unable to reach Cuba due to the fear of commercial operators regarding possible U.S. sanctions.
The representative of Havana described the embargo as "cruel" and "illegal," and argued that its consequences especially harm the most vulnerable sectors of the Cuban population.
The U.S. government, for its part, maintains the sanctions as part of its policy towards Cuba. Its legal framework sets conditions for the eventual lifting of the embargo, which are related, among other aspects, to political changes and guarantees of fundamental rights and freedoms on the Island.
During his speech, Rodríguez also recalled the statements made by León XIV in February 2026, when the pontiff and called for promoting dialogue.
The diplomat also mentioned the statements made by the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, regarding the difficult humanitarian situation in Cuba.
During the press conference, the ambassador also recalled that in January 2028, it will mark 30 years since the historic visit of Juan Pablo II to Cuba, which took place in 1998.
The diplomat recalled the well-known phrase spoken by that pontiff during his trip: "Let Cuba open to the world and let the world open to Cuba," linking it to the Cuban authorities' call to end the U.S. embargo.
However, the message from John Paul II also included a call for openness within Cuban society and transcended the realm of economic relations with the United States.
After that visit in 1998, Cuba welcomed Benedict XVI in 2012 and Pope Francis in 2015. If Leo XIV were to accept the invitation, he would become the fourth pope to visit the Island.
The invitation to the pontiff comes after several high-level contacts between Cuban and American officials, as well as representatives of the Holy See, throughout this year.
On February 28, Leo XIV received Cuban Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla in an audience, who traveled to Rome as a special envoy of Miguel Díaz-Canel amid the tensions between Havana and Washington.
The meeting took place after discussions between U.S. representatives and Vatican authorities, positioning the Holy See as a key interlocutor in diplomatic efforts related to Cuba.
In March, Parolin stated that the Vatican had taken steps to promote a dialogue-based solution to the Cuban crisis, although he acknowledged the difficulties in achieving concrete results.
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