Pope Leo XIV backs Cuban Bishops’ call for dialogue amid rising U.S.–Cuba tensions, urging diplomacy, reform, and respect for human dignity.
Newsroom (02/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) As tensions grow between Cuba and the United States, Pope Leo XIV has joined the Catholic Bishops of Cuba in calling for an urgent renewal of dialogue and a deep commitment to peace, reform, and respect for human dignity. Speaking before the faithful during his Sunday Angelus, the Pope expressed “great concern” over what he described as a moment of escalating uncertainty for the Cuban people.
“I join the message of the Cuban Bishops,” Pope Leo said, “inviting all those responsible to promote sincere and effective dialogue, in order to avoid violence and any action that could increase the suffering of the beloved Cuban people.” The pontiff concluded his appeal with a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, invoking Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre—the patroness of Cuba—to “assist and protect all the children of that beloved land.”
The Pope’s statement came just a day after Cuba’s Catholic Bishops released a moving and urgent message “to all Cubans of good will,” expressing alarm over the country’s worsening economic, social, and humanitarian crisis. The bishops emphasized that while national transformation is essential, such change must come without further pain or bloodshed.
“Cuba needs changes, and they are increasingly urgent,” the bishops wrote, “but it does not need any more anguish or pain. No more blood and no more mourning in Cuban families. We have had too much of that in our recent history.”
Their message framed the island’s challenges within both domestic and international dimensions, focusing on recent U.S. measures affecting countries that export oil—policies the bishops warn could further strain Cuba’s fragile economy. “The risk of social chaos is real,” they cautioned, noting that coercive tactics and isolation only deepen the nation’s suffering.
Reaffirming the Vatican’s long-held diplomatic stance, the bishops underscored that “the unchanging position of the Pope and of the Holy See, consistent with International Law, is that governments should be able to resolve their disagreements and conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, not coercion or war.” This statement reflects the Church’s consistent call for negotiated resolution over punitive measures—a perspective that has shaped Vatican foreign policy across decades of global crises.
Yet the bishops also insisted that respect for the individual must remain central to any process of national reconciliation. “Respect for the dignity and the exercise of the freedom of each human being within one’s own nation,” they noted, “cannot be subordinated or conditioned by the variables of external conflicts.”
The appeal concluded with a call for “an environment of healthy plurality and mutual respect” in Cuban society—terms that suggest not only political diversity but also civic cooperation across social and ideological divides. The bishops emphasized that genuine internal dialogue within Cuba supports, rather than hinders, constructive relations with the international community.
Affirming their commitment to stand alongside the Cuban people, the bishops pledged that the country’s Catholic Church would continue its mission of service, compassion, and advocacy. Their pastoral promise, they wrote, is to “accompany the Cuban people by inviting everyone to conversion, proclaiming the Gospel, and serving all those in need.”
For many observers, Pope Leo XIV’s endorsement of the bishops’ appeal underscores the Vatican’s growing role as a moral mediator in moments of geopolitical friction. As he prayed for a peaceful outcome, the Pope’s words carried both spiritual weight and diplomatic resonance—calling Cuba and the United States alike to replace confrontation with conversation, and policy with empathy.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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