Pope Francis highlights the releases in Cuba in the context of the Jubilee
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Pope Francis yesterday stressed the importance of the decision of the Cuban Government to free 553 prisoners sentenced for various causes, within the context of the Jubilee of the Catholic Church in 2025.
In his words after the Angelus prayer, pronounced at noon this Sunday, from the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Supreme Pontiff said, in reference to this fact, that "it is a gesture of great hope that concretizes one of the intentions of this Jubilee Year.”
"I hope that in the coming months we will continue to undertake initiatives of this kind in different parts of the world, which will instill confidence in the journey of individuals and peoples," said the Bishop of Rome before thousands of faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
On January 15, in a note published on the website of the Vatican News newspaper, the Holy See had highlighted the announcement of the Cuban Government, after a process with the participation of the Vatican.
In early January, Vatican News reported, President Díaz-Canel addressed a letter to Pope Francis, "informing him of the decision to grant freedom to 553 people punished for various crimes", and mentioned the Declaration of the Foreign Ministry of the Island, which states that it is a "practice that is common in our justice system and that has characterized the humanitarian trajectory of the Revolution".
In Cuba, the Vatican daily noted, "more than 10,000 people punished with deprivation of liberty were released from prison between 2023 and 2024, with various types of benefits provided for by law".
On January 16, the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin, valued that "it is significant that the authorities in Havana have directly linked this decision to the appeal of Pope Francis, who, in the bull of convocation of the Jubilee, and then on several other occasions, asked for gestures of clemency". (Source: Granma)
