Leahy Joins In Offering Bipart. Senate Res. Thanking Pope Francis For Role In Rls. Of Alan Gross, Impr. Relations With Cuba --

Press Release

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced a resolution commending Pope Francis for his leadership in helping to secure the release of Alan Gross, and for working with the governments of the United States and Cuba to achieve a more positive relationship.

"Pope Francis seems to find new ways every day to make the world a little better," said Durbin. "Over the past 18 months, that included sensitive negotiations for the release of an American aid worker and helping to mend the relationship between the United States and Cuba. Because of his work my friend Alan Gross is home again with his family."

"The release of Alan Gross opened the way for President Obama to finally chart a new course for our policy on Cuba," said Leahy. "We all have Pope Francis to thank for his invaluable role in helping both governments begin the process of normalizing relations."

"Thanks to the key role Pope Francis played in negotiating the release of a jailed American, Alan Gross is now with his family instead of in a Cuban prison," Flake said. "We are grateful for his intervention, and for his compassion."

"After more than five years of imprisonment in Cuba, I was so pleased to welcome Alan Gross home to Maryland and the United States of America as he got off the plane and once against set foot on American soil," Mikulski said. "During his long imprisonment, Alan suffered tremendously. I'm so thankful for the steadfast commitment of Pope Francis, along with his predecessor Pope Benedict, in working to secure the release of Mr. Gross. Pope Francis has a unique position to speak out for human rights and appeal for compassion in the face of adversity. The collaborative effort to bring Alan home is a testament to his work helping and empowering others that he has dedicated so much of his life to."

"I'm thankful Pope Francis helped us free one of our citizens held in Cuba. I am pleased Alan Gross is back and I pray for his recovery," said Enzi. "I also look forward to trying something new in our approach to Cuba in the hopes that we can facilitate positive change and freedom."

"I join with people of all faiths in praising Pope Francis for his critical role in gaining the freedom of Alan Gross, an American who was imprisoned for helping the Cuban Jewish community gain greater freedoms and access to the outside world. We all share in the universal responsibility to protect the rights of all global citizens," said Cardin. "It was a blessing to welcome Alan home to Maryland for a long-sought reunion with his family. Now that he is free, we can begin to write a new chapter in US-Cuban relations and openly promote a society that respects human rights and individual freedoms."