Marco Rubio wants to enlist the Pope to aid Cuba!
Washington, May 5 (EFE).-
The Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that he intends to speak with Pope Leo XIV about the possibility of Washington providing more humanitarian aid to Cuba, to be distributed by the Church in the Caribbean nation. However, he emphasized that Cuban authorities must authorize the operation.
During a press conference at the White House, the US top diplomat explained that the trip to the Vatican would serve to discuss expanding cooperation with the Church to channel assistance to the island.
Rubio insisted that the US has previously attempted to send aid but has faced obstacles from Havana. He recalled that in February, the White House sent 6 million dollars to be distributed through Caritas, a network of Catholic organizations operating on the island.
“We’re willing to give more humanitarian aid to Cuba, by the way, distributed through the church. But the Cuban regime has to allow us to do it,” the Secretary of State expressed.
Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, added that his agenda with the Holy See, which begins on Thursday, will also include broader issues, such as the defense of religious freedom globally.
“We have shared concerns about religious freedom in different parts of the world. We’d love to talk to them about that,” Marco Rubio indicated, highlighting the convergence of interests between Washington and the Vatican in this area.
In that context, Rubio commented on Leo XIV’s recent trip to West Africa, where he addressed the issue of freedom of worship, a matter that has greatly concerned the Trump Administration in countries like Nigeria. The US bombed Islamist groups there at Christmas in retaliation for the massacre of Christians.
Amidst recent controversy, Rubio downplayed the tensions between President Donald Trump and Leo XIV, denying that the president had directly accused the pontiff.
Controversy over photograph at Southern Command
Rubio also minimized the significance of being photographed with the head of the Southern Command in front of a map of Cuba, and the apparent suggestion of an imminent military offensive. He explained that the decision to pose there was simply because there happened to be a map in the room where the photo was taken.
“There happened to be a map of Cuba, and I said it’d be good if we took a picture in front of that map because it’s like the closest thing in Southcom to the US,” the US top diplomat added after visiting the Miami facilities.
The incident occurs while Washington applies an oil embargo on the island since January as a pressure measure against the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel. Last week, Trump threatened to immediately take control of Cuba after the war in Iran ended. EFE
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