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The Vatican released a “Communiqué of the Secretariat of State,” the day President Barack Obama changed the U.S. relationship with Cuba, mentioning the Pope’s role in the event: “The Holy Father wishes to express his warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history. In recent months, Pope Francis wrote letters to the President of the Republic of Cuba, His Excellency Mr Raúl Castro, and the President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama, and invited them to resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations between the two Parties. The Holy See received Delegations of the two countries in the Vatican last October and provided its good offices to facilitate a constructive dialogue on delicate matters, resulting in solutions acceptable to both Parties.” [Con Embargo]

“Communiqué of the Secretariat of State,” Press.Vatican.va, Dec. 17, 2014

“President Obama on Wednesday ordered the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba and the opening of an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century as he vowed to ‘cut loose the shackles of the past’ and sweep aside one of the last vestiges of the Cold War.” [Con Embargo]

Peter Baker, “U.S. to Restore Full Relations With Cuba, Erasing a Last Trace of Cold War Hostility,” NYTimes.com, Dec. 17, 2014

A survey “conducted by the Miami-based Bendixen and Amandi International research firm on behalf of the networks Univision Noticias and Fusion,” in collaboration with The Washington Post between March 17 and 25, 2015, “shows vast majority of Cubans welcome closer ties with United States.” [Con Embargo]

“Poll shows vast majority of Cubans welcome closer ties with U.S.,” WashingtonPost.com, April 8, 2015

“The [President Barack] Obama administration on Friday removed Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a crucial step in President Obama’s push to normalize ties between Washington and Havana.” [Con Embargo]

Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “U.S. Removes Cuba From State-Sponsored Terrorism List,” NYTimes.com, May 29, 2015

“After more than a half-century of Cold War estrangement, the United States reopened its six-story embassy in Havana on Monday, and Cuba raised a flag outside its own stately embassy in Washington.” [Con Embargo]

Azam Ahmed and Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “U.S. and Cuba Reopen Long-Closed Embassies,” July 20, 2015

In the July 22, 2015, Federal Register, under Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Summary of the Final rule “Cuba: Implementing Rescission of State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation”: “This rule amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to implement the rescission of Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Specifically, this rule removes anti-terrorism (AT) license requirements from Cuba and eliminates references to Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but maintains preexisting license requirements for all items subject to the EAR unless authorized by a license exception. This rule also removes Cuba from Country Group E:1 (terrorist supporting countries), which makes Cuba eligible for a general 25 percent de minimis level and portions of four license exceptions. The Secretary of State rescinded the designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism on May 29, 2015.” [Con Embargo]

“Cuba: Implementing Rescission of State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation,” GPO.gov, Federal Register, Vol. 80, No. 140, July 22, 2015

President Barack Obama sent the following to the White House email list “after touching down in Cuba and becoming the first sitting President to visit the nation in nearly 90 years” according to his White House website on March 21, 2016: “I’ve come to Havana to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people. I’m here to bury the last vestige of the Cold War in the Americas and to forge a new era of understanding to help improve the daily lives of the Cuban people.” [Con Embargo]

Tanya Somanader, “President Obama: ‘We’ve Reached Havana’,” ObamaWhiteHouse.archives.gov Blog, March 21, 2016

A Florida International University [FIU] poll conducted between July 11, 2016, and Aug. 12, 2016, of 1,000 Cuban-American residents of Miami-Dade County: “Respondents were asked how well they thought the U.S. embargo of Cuba was working. An overwhelming majority, 81%, expressed the view that the embargo was ‘not working at all’ or ‘not very well.'”

Florida International University, “2016 FIU Cuba Poll: How Cuban Americans in Miami View U.S. Policies Toward Cuba,” CRI.FIU.edu, between July 11, 2016, and Aug. 12, 2016

Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s death is announced on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. He was 90. “Castro’s brother and the nation’s President, Raul, announced his death Friday on Cuban TV.”

Arthur Brice, “Fidel Castro, Cuba’s longtime revolutionary leader, dies at 90,” CNN.com, Nov. 26, 2016

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Dec. 1-5, 2016: “In the aftermath of Fidel Castro’s death and the election of Donald Trump, Americans continue to express support for the recent thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations. Yet the U.S. public remains skeptical about whether the island nation will become more democratic in the coming years.”

Alec Tyson, “Americans still favor ties with Cuba after Castro’s death, U.S. election,” PewResearch.org, FactTank, Dec. 13, 2016