President Obama, Cuban President Raul Castro Speak Ahead Of Pope Francis’ Visit

— -- President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro spoke by phone today ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. and Cuba.

“The two Presidents commended the role that Pope Francis has played in advancing relations between our countries,” the White House said.

Pope Francis secretly brokered the agreement to restore relations between the two countries and advocated for the release of Alan Gross, the American who was held by the Cubans for five years before his release in 2014.

Last year, the Pope wrote letters to President Obama and President Castro urging them to start a new phase of the relationship between their two countries.

In their phone call Friday, Obama and Castro also discussed the process of normalizing U.S. and Cuba relations. The phone call came on the same day the Obama administration announced new regulatory changes that will make it easier to do business and travel to Cuba. American companies can now establish a physical presence in Cuba as well as open bank accounts and bring their family members to Cuba on work travel.

It’s the first time the two leaders have spoken on the phone since their historic face-to-face meeting at the Summit of the Americas in Panama and comes just before the Pope visits the two countries he brought together.

The Pope flies to Cuba on Saturday and will travel Tuesday to the U.S. where he will visit Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia.