article_snippet.sent: Vatican says Pope Francis may add another leg to Pope Francis trip to the United States this September, visiting Cuba just months after Pope Francis helped negotiate a diplomatic thaw between the two nations.
article_snippet.sent: The possibility, which would add a dimension of international intrigue to an already highly anticipated trip, was first reported Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.
article_snippet.sent: In response to reporters' questions, Lombardi said in a statement, "The Holy Father has taken into consideration the idea of making a stop in Cuba" on Lombardi way to or from the United States this September. "
article_snippet.sent: However, contacts with the Cuban authorities are still in too early a phase for it to be possible to regard this as a firm decision or an operative plan," Lombardi continued.
article_snippet.sent: Pope Francis, the first pontiff to hail from Latin America, played a key role in the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, earning praise from both President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro.
article_snippet.sent: The Holy Father made personal pleas to Obama and Cuban leaders in private letters, writing that the two nations should try to reset the two nations relations after decades of friction.
article_snippet.sent: The Vatican also hosted talks between U.S. and Cuban delegations in October, where The Vatican hashed out aspects of a new trade policy and discussed the release of jailed American contractor Alan Gross, who was freed as part of the detente between the two countries.
article_snippet.sent: In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Friday, Archbishop Charles Chaput, " Obama's host in Philadelphia, said " Obama'd hadn't heard about the potential for a papal visit to Cuba until " Obama turned on the morning news.
article_snippet.sent: Two previous Popes have visited the Caribbean nation: St. John Paul II in 1998 and former Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
highlights_snippet.sent: Pope Francis played key role in re-establishing diplomatic ties between Cuba and U.S.
  "Contacts with the Cuban authorities are still in too early a phase," Vatican spokesman says .