By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-22 02:31:26 | Updated at 2025-01-22 07:50:20
5 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // After his Jan. 19 Angelus address, Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s. He expressed his gratitude to both those involved in mediating the ceasefire in Gaza, which occurred earlier that day, and the people who helped facilitate the release of prisoners in Cuba.
Pope Francis called for prayers for dialogue, reconciliation, and peace for Israel and Palestine. He emphasized the need for hope, expressing his trust that both States would reach the right solution.
He urged both parties to embrace what was agreed upon so “all the hostages may finally return home and embrace their loved ones.”
“I pray a lot for them and for their families,” he continued. “I also hope that humanitarian aid will reach the people of Gaza, who so urgently need it, even faster and in large quantities.”
The Pope also hailed the release of political captives from Cuban prisons as “a gesture of great hope” embodying the intentions of the Jubilee year.
The International Republican Institute reported Jan. 14 that Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel will gradually be releasing 553 political prisoners after discussions he had with the Vatican and the Biden administration.
The prisoner release comes after the Biden administration announced its decision to remove Cuba from its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
One political prisoner, Jose Daniel Ferrer, who was held for 3.5 years, commented in an interview with the Voice of America that he would continue advocating for “the nonviolent struggle for freedom and democracy.”
In his Jan. 19 address, Pope Francis calls for ongoing prayers of hope and peace during the year of Jubilee.
“In these days of prayer for Christian unity,” he said, “let us not cease to invoke from God the precious gift of full communion between all the Lord’s disciples.”
