On Wednesday, Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel met with representatives of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC) at the Revolution Palace in Havana.
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Both sides expressed "gratitude for the possibility of the meeting", which addressed issues related to the work of the Catholic Church, the country's socio-economic situation, and the strengthening of values in the Cuban society.
"The meeting took place in a climate of mutual respect, following the Revolution’s respect towards religion and belief freedom enshrined in the Constitution," the Cuban government stated.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero and Economy Minister Alejandro Gil participated in the meeting, along with Rogelio Polanco, head of the Communist Party (PCC) ideological department, and Caridad Diego, chief of the PCC Office of Religious Affairs.
The Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Juan de la Caridad Garcia, and the COCC president Monsignor Emilio Aranguren also participated in the encounter.
Earlier this year, Cardinal Beniamino Stella traveled to Cuba as a special envoy of Pope Francis, who supported the U.S.-Cuba diplomatic thaw which was promoted by former President Barack Obama (2009-2017) and ended by Donald Trump (2017-2021).
"The Vatican wants those in power to be able to talk and listen to each other,” Stella stated, stressing the importance of dialoguing to resolve conflicts.
“May this dialogue between Havana and Washington take place soon. This will be a serious and important step for both parties involved," he pointed out.
“We will try to address all these expectations,” Diaz-Canel pointed out, expressing his desire to advance the relations with the Vatican and the members of the Catholic Church in Cuba.