Vatican City, February 1 : Amid a rise in tension between Cuba and the US, Pope Leo XIV has called all parties to "sincere and effective dialogue" for the good of the Cuban people, Vatican News reported.
Speaking at the Angelus on Sunday, the Pope expressed "great concern" over the situation.
"I join the message of the Cuban Bishops, 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," he said, as quoted by Vatican News.
On Saturday (local time), the Catholic Bishops of Cuba issued a message "to all Cubans of goodwill," voicing their concerns over the deepening economic, social, and humanitarian situation in the country.
"Cuba needs changes, and they are increasingly urgent, but it does not need any more anguish or pain," wrote the Bishops. "No more blood and no more mourning in Cuban families. We have had too much of that in our recent history!"
The Cuban Bishops said they long for a "renewed, prosperous, and happy Cuba," but added that it cannot come at the cost of increased suffering, according to Vatican News.
They noted the imposition of US tariffs on countries that export oil, saying that "the risk of social chaos is real".
"The unchanging position of the Pope and of the Holy See, consistent with International Law," said the Bishops, "is that governments should be able to resolve their disagreements and conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, not coercion or war."
However, they noted, "respect for the dignity and the exercise of the freedom of each human being within one's own nation cannot be subordinated or conditioned by the variables of external conflicts," as quoted by Vatican News.
Cuba's Bishops called for "an environment of healthy plurality and mutual respect" within Cuba, as these factors directly contribute to fruitful international exchange.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned US President Donald Trump's attempt to "suffocate" its sanctions-hit economy, as per Al Jazeera.
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday threatening additional tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba. The order alleged that the government of communist-run Cuba was an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to US national security, as per Al Jazeera.
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