section_path: International diplomatic role/Cuba
section_name: Cuba
paragraph_text: Cuba
  
  When Francis was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he authored a text entitled "Dialogues Between John Paul II and Fidel Castro". John Paul was the first pope to visit Cuba. After a meeting between Francis and Cuban leader Raúl Castro in May 2015, Castro said that he was considering returning to the Catholic Church. He said in a televised news conference, "I read all the speeches of the pope, his commentaries, and if the pope continues this way, I will go back to praying and go back to the church."
  
  As pope, Francis played a key role in the talks toward restoring full diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba, announced on 17 December 2014. The Pope, along with the Government of Canada, was a behind-the-scenes broker of the agreement, taking the role following President Obama's request during his visit to the Pope in March 2014. The success of the negotiations was credited to Francis because "as a religious leader with the confidence of both sides, he was able to convince the Obama and Castro administrations that the other side would live up to the deal". En route to the United States for a visit in September 2015, the Pope stopped in Cuba.