By Charles Igwe
The Cuban government has announced the release of 553 prisoners, a decision made through the mediation of Pope Francis and inspired by the “spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025.”
In a statement issued on January 14, the Cuban Foreign Ministry highlighted the nation’s ongoing dialogue with the Vatican, emphasizing its longstanding “close and smooth relations” with the Holy See. The government revealed that consistent communication with Pope Francis and his representatives has led to significant measures of clemency in recent years. Between 2023 and 2024, more than 10,000 inmates were reportedly granted their freedom following a review of their cases.
The ministry’s statement also referred to pivotal meetings between Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Pope Francis in June 2023, as well as an earlier encounter with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla in August 2022. These discussions paved the way for a landmark gesture of clemency aligned with the Jubilee Year of Hope.
President Díaz-Canel expressed his commitment to the Jubilee spirit in a letter to Pope Francis, announcing the decision to gradually release 553 individuals who had been convicted of various offenses under due legal process. The statement affirmed that these releases would take place incrementally in the coming months.
The Cuban government’s decision resonates with Pope Francis’ call for compassion and mercy during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, which officially commenced on December 24, 2024, at the Vatican. In his apostolic bull Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), the Holy Father urged governments to consider measures of amnesty or pardon as a way to restore hope and reintegrate individuals into society.
