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 expressed the hope that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19, “would be respected immediately by all the parties [involved]” and would lead to “the release of all the hostages” and the rapid provision of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza.

The Cuban government announced that it would release hundreds of political prisoners, citing inspiration from Pope Francis' emphasis on mercy for prisoners during the Jubilee Year.

The Cuban government’s announcement of the prisoner release dated Jan. 14 cited 'the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025' and noted Pope Francis’ mediation in the negotiations.

The deal, which comes less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, also includes rolling back a 2017 memorandum issued during his first term.

In addition to removing Cuba from the terror list, the White House will also issue the country a waiver from Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which strengthened embargo provisions against Cuba. Title III of the law allows U.S. citizens to sue individuals allegedly trafficking in property expropriated by the country’s communist government.

We are taking several steps to support the Cuban people as part of an understanding with the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis and improve the livelihood of Cubans,' says spokespers

The move is likely to be reversed by the incoming Trump administration, as it was Trump who first put Cuba on the terrorism blacklist in his first term

In the final days of his lame-duck presidency, Joe Biden thumbed his nose at President-elect Donald Trump by reversing a 2021 Trump administration directive to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in exchange for the release of 553 political prisoners.

The move was part of a sweeping executive order signed by Trump on Monday night that rescinds 78 executive actions taken by Biden over the course of his presidency.

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it will remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) in exchange for the release of political prisoners jailed for protesting

President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.