Pope Francis on Sunday hailed the release of Cuban prisoners as a “gesture of great hope” that he prayed would be undertaken elsewhere, as he welcomed an agreement the Vatican helped facilitate as part of a three-way dialogue with Washington and Havana that dates back to the Cuban missile crisis.

Pope Francis has praised Cuba's decision to release 553 prisoners as a sign of hope, facilitated by Vatican-brokered discussions involving the US. This move aligns with the pope's tradition of urging clemency during Holy Years.

Pope Francis received one of the U.S.'s top honors, published a memoir, and facilitated relations between Washington and Havana.

Cuba then informed Pope Francis it would gradually release 553 convicts as authorities explore the legal and humanitarian ways to make it happen. Havana said, however, that the gesture to the pontiff is unrelated to the U.S. decision to lift the designation.

Someone in the queue behind him said “let’s hope he accepts”, but he was, it seems, deaf to all the signs he was in the running. An archbishop asked him, would he accept? “No cardinal can say no”, he said.

Pope Francis on Sunday hailed the release of Cuban prisoners as a "gesture of great hope" that he prayed would be undertaken elsewhere, as he welcomed an agreement the Vatican helped facilitate as part of a three-way dialogue with Washington and Havana that dates back to the Cuban missile crisis.

Havana told Pope Francis it would gradually free 553 convicts. It added that the gesture was unrelated to the U.S. announcement. The releases began on Wednesday, and so far more than 30 people ...

Cuba has started releasing some prisoners as part of talks with the Vatican, a day after President Joe Biden’s administration announced his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state spons

WASHINGTON/HAVANA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The Biden administration said ... his government planned to "gradually" release 553 prisoners following talks with Pope Francis. Cuba faced sharp criticism from rights groups, the United States and the European Union ...

ROME — Pope Francis on Sunday hailed the release ... facilitate as part of a three-way dialogue with Washington and Havana that dates back to the Cuban missile crisis. Cuba said this week ...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday directed State Department personnel to stop nearly all U.S. foreign aid spending for 90 days. A copy of the directive that Politico obtained requires State Department staffers to immediately issue “stop-work orders” on nearly all “existing foreign assistance awards.”

A sweeping executive order that President Donald Trump issued on Monday bans the State Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June 2021 announced the State Department would begin to issue gender-neutral passports and documents for American citizens who were born overseas.