The Vatican has played a part in guiding the transition process since the mid-90s. Now, the Church also has a decisive role to play in Cuba’s future.
Pope Francis, Vatican diplomacy and the Catholic Church will be able to play a part in Cuba’s future in light of the líder máximo’s death, playing the ecumenical card after the historic meeting between the Pope and Moscow’s Patriarch Kirill at Havana airport last February, with the subtle mediation of Raúl Castro
The Vatican and the Catholic Church have helped guide the slow thaw in relations with the Cuban regime since the fall of the Berlin Wall. John Paul II had been sending delegates to the island for a decade. The first turning point came with his visit to the island in 1998. In the years which followed, other small steps forward were made, leading to Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in March 2012 before his onward trip to Mexico. Fidel had handed over the reins six years prior to that. John Paul II’s visit let to Christmas being reintroduced as a public holiday and Benedict XVIs’ arrival achieved the reinstatement of Holy Friday.
In a telegram of condolence sent yesterday, Bergoglio lamented “the sad news” of Fidel Castro’s death and expressed his “sentiments of sorrow to Your Excellency [Raúl Castro, Ed.] and other family members of the deceased dignitary, as well as to the people of this beloved nation”. The Pope had already placed a strong emphasis on social justice and the defence of the poor in his magisteria and relations were immediately kicked up a notch. This is partly because the time was ripe for an agreement between Washington and Havana and both Obama and Castro asked Francis for the Vatican to act as a kind of neutral broker. Both public expressed their gratitude to Francis although the role of the Holy See was in fact modest and subtle. After a deal was reached between the US and Cuba in September 2015, Bergoglio visited the two countries in one single trip. In the months that followed, contact was maintained, leading up to the meeting with the Patriarch of Moscow.
The Pope and the Vatican Secretary of State will continue to take small steps to favour the country’s slow transition, as outlined by Wojtyla when he arrive in Havana in 1998: "May Cuba, with all its magnificent potential, open itself up to the world, and may the world open itself up to Cuba.” Now that Fidel is gone, it could be that Raúl Castro feels less tied down by his brother, at least that is the sensation the Vatican has. For years the Church has been asking for the removal of embargo on Cuba as it is placing a huge strain on the island’s economy.
The actions of the new US administration under Donald Trump put another big question mark over the future. Francis and the Catholic Church, as well as the Orthodox Church which is tied to Vladimir Putin, will be trying not to hinder the thawing process that began two years ago.
