Pope looks for Guantanamo solution

The Vatican has asked the US to find an “adequate humanitarian solution” for prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre, a reflection of Pope Francis’s vocal concern that prisoners be treated with dignity and not be subject to inhumane treatment.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, made the request during a Vatican meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Vatican spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi said the two sides discussed the US commitment to closing the facility. He said Parolin expressed the Holy See’s desire that “favourable attention be paid to finding adequate humanitarian solutions for current inmates.”

Pope Francis has spoken about prisoners’ rights and has dedicated much time as archbishop of Buenos Aires and as pope to ministering to inmates.