During the Angelus prayer this Sunday (1st), Pope Leo XIV said he was deeply concerned about the rise in tensions between the United States and Cuba, and called for a “sincere and effective dialogue” to avoid violence and further suffering for the Cuban people.
US President Donald Trump said last week what tariffs would be imposed to imports from countries that supply oil to Cuba, increasing pressure on Washington’s former enemy following the ouster of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, a key Cuban ally, in early January.
Trump said the threat was necessary to protect “the national security and foreign policy of the United States from the malign actions and policies of the Cuban regime.”
Of course Lion stated that he had received reports “with great concern” about the increase in tensions between Cuba and the United States.
He joined the Cuban bishops in “urging those responsible to promote a sincere and effective dialogue to avoid harm to the Cuban people,” in statements made after the Angelus prayer.
Last week, Trump predicted that “Cuba will collapse very soon,” adding that Venezuela, once the island’s main oil supplier, had not sent fuel or money to Cuba recently.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez declared a “state of international emergency” in response to the US tariff warning, which he said constitutes “an unusual and extraordinary threat”.
On Saturday (31), Trump he reiterated his call for Cuba to negotiate with the United States. “It doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida.
