Pope Prods President Obama on Cuba

“For more than a year, secret talks had taken place between U.S. and Cuban officials both in Canada and at the Vatican. The Pope wrote letters to both Obama and Castro inviting them to resolve their situation through humanitarian efforts” (CNBC, December 17, 2014). “In their first-ever meeting at the Vatican in March, President  Barack Obama  and  Pope Francis  devoted a significant portion of their hour together to discussing a country thousands of miles away—Cuba—a fact that wasn’t disclosed until Wednesday. Afterward, the pope wrote letters to Mr. Obama and to Cuba’s President Raúl Castro, urging them to settle outstanding issues related to prisoners in both countries and to pursue closer ties. The papal diplomacy was a key to the Obama administration’s push over the past 18 months to overturn half a century of U.S. policies built around shunning Cuba” (Wall Street Journal, December 18, 2014). 

As world leaders attempt to deal with thorny issues, the current pope is getting more involved in the affairs of nations. Bible prophecies have long foretold that a world church and its leader will play a major role in international affairs just prior to Christ’s return (Revelation 13:11-14; 16:13). For more about this coming religious world leader, read The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?