Cuba announced that it would release 533 prisoners. This is to be its response to the appeal of Pope Francis contained in the bull announcing the Jubilee of the Year 2025. On this occasion, Cuba emphasized its “respectful and sincere” relations with the Vatican.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Tuesday informing that the country's government has decided to release 533 prisoners in response to the appeal Pope Francis. “President Miguel Diaz-Canel sent a letter to the Pope in which, in the spirit of the Jubilee Year 2025 proclaimed by His Holiness, he informed him of his decision to guarantee the freedom of 533 people convicted of various crimes,” the statement reads.
Pope Francis' appeal
As indicated by the Catholic News Agency, the statement refers to Francis' appeal expressed in the bull “Spes Non Confundit” (“Hope cannot fail”) announcing the Jubilee of the Year 2025. In it, the Pope proposed that “state governments take initiatives to restore hope, issuing amnesties or pardons that would help individuals regain confidence in themselves and in society.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cuba claims that “the Cuban government has maintained contact with Pope Francis and his representatives and, as in the past, informed His Holiness of the review and release processes.” It also said Cuba maintains “respectful, sincere and constructive relations with the Vatican and the Pope, which facilitate decisions such as the one made recently.”
In addition, special attention was paid to the meeting of Pope Francis with the President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel in August 2022, during which the situation of prisoners as well as the policy of USA towards the island.
Jubilee Year 2025
In the Catholic Church, the Jubilee Year is a time of forgiveness and forgiveness of sins. The tradition comes from the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament, in which we can read that every 50 years there was a jubilee during which debts were forgiven and slaves and servants were freed.
In the Catholic Church, the Jubilee Year was first inaugurated by Pope Boniface VII in 1300. Initially, it took place every 100 years, then every 50 years, and since the 17th century it has been announced every 25 years. This year started on December 24, 2024 and will end on January 6, 2026.
Pope Francis during the ceremony inaugurating the Jubilee Year He opened the Holy Door in the Vatican Basilica on Christmas Eve and was the first to cross its threshold.
Catholic News Agency, Vatican News
Main photo source: FABIO FRUSTACI/EPA/PAP