Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston, celebrated the deal announced Tuesday between the US and Cuba to free more than 500 political prisoners on the island, saying that he “carried messages” from Pope Francis to President Biden and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel “over the past several years” as the church sought to improve relations between the two countries.
In a post on his blog after the deal was announced, O’Malley, who led the Catholic Church in Boston from 2003 until last year, wrote that he welcomed the decisions of the Cuban and US leaders to “take steps that for years have seemed impossible.”
“Pope Francis’ patient and persistent efforts to assist the Cuban people and to foster greater understanding between our two peoples have been an underlying force in bringing about this historic agreement,” O’Malley wrote.
“The implementation of what has been announced today will obviously be a complex process both in the U.S. and in Cuba. My prayer is that what has occurred today will indeed result in the release of these prisoners and greater cooperation between our two countries and their peoples.”
Although retired, O’Malley remains a key advisor to Pope Francis, particularly in the area of clergy sex abuse and reform. He was succeeded in Boston by Archbishop Richard Henning, who was installed on Oct. 31.
O’Malley noted that the deal comes during a year that is being observed in Catholicism as a Biblical Jubilee Year, one where the the church community is encouraged to “foster forgiveness, reconciliation and various expressions of compassion.”
Under the deal facilitated by the Catholic Church, the Cuban government said it would release 553 people who had been convicted of different crimes, while the US would lift its designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and ease some economic pressure on the country, according statements released by both governments.
The deal, which comes less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration and return to the White House, also includes rolling back a 2017 memorandum issued by Trump during his first term that restricted any US payments to military-linked businesses in Cuba.
In a statement Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred to the agreement as “an understanding with the Catholic Church.” The Cuban Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said the decision to release prisoners was made in “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025 declared by His Holiness” and did not link it to the US decision to rescind its designation of Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism.
The Cuban foreign ministry said Diaz-Canel and Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, the minister of foreign of affairs, each attended meetings with Pope Francis, where discussions covered “issues of mutual concern and others related to the international agenda, some information was provided on these matters, with emphasis on the unjust nature and nefarious effect of the US Cuba policy.”
“His Holiness has given unequivocal proofs of his empathy and love for the Cuban people,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Jean-Pierre said Biden’s decisions on Cuba honor “the wisdom and counsel that has been provided to him by many world leaders, especially in Latin America, who have encouraged him to take these actions, on how best to advance the human rights of the Cuban people.”
“We take these steps in appreciation of the Catholic Church’s efforts to facilitate Cuba to take its own, constructive measures to restore liberty to its citizens and enable conditions that improve the livelihood of Cubans,” she said.
Biden’s actions could be short-lived, however, as they will come under the review of Congress and the incoming Trump administration.
Trump, who is set to take office Jan. 20, has long been a harsh critic of Cuba and designated the country as a terror sponsor toward the end of his term in 2021. His pick for Secretary of State, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, has also long supported sanctions against the communist island. Rubio’s family left Cuba in the 1950s, before the communist revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.
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