that has been going on for many years, as we remember pope benedict ii, and pope calling for cuba to open itself to the world. think getting over the push of m the u. s. side -- course the meeting with pop francis and the president very but, i think there are other factors. church in catholic cuba, of course, it is not monolithic. there are debates, especially about archbishop of havana. i think it might vindicate a bit his role as someone quietly working behind the this process e forward. an interesting space for t, and dialogue that has been trying to work on these debates in cuba. a group of them have broken off something new -- it was profiled in the new york times several weeks ago. it is worth watching them. it is a group of intellectuals who are trying to develop their own think tank. an interesting offshoot of something that start within the church, and maybe broadening out now. >> just one thing. father mccarrick, i do not know in the ou're sitting the issue of on migration -- it is not just a political issue, but a moral issue. this also applies to cuba. think pope francis

pope benedict more emphasized orthodoxys there a change in terms of emphasis in the catholic church? >> i explained it by nice phrase that i heard, that is that john paul ii told us what we should do. benedict told us why we should do it. and pope francis is saying, do it. >> o'donnell: so what specifically does that mean "do it"? >> i think a lot of the things that pope francis is talking about in terms of economic policy have their seeds in many of the writings of john paul ii as well as benedict. he is making it more precise i think because of his own experience in argentina being very close to the poor on day-to-day basis. i think that gives him a different metric, a different way of what the teachings of the church are in real terms. he is putting emphasis on real life people and bringing yet ideas to bear upon the real life situations of folks. >> o'donnell: you in your own background appear to have emphasized conversation other confrontation. you haven't been particularly confrontational with politicians who disagree with you on issues like abortion, for instance. do you think the eucharist has become too politicized? >> i that i is important alway

ii, 1988. pope benedict in 2012.you think the fact that pope francis is the first latin american pope played a role in all of this? >> certainly, he was familiar with the issues coming from latin america. and i am sure his concern for what's happening in the western hemisphere is a priority for him. he was more than happy to work on this. pope john paul ii called for cuba to be open to the world and the world to be open to cuba. and that was a very clear signal to both cuba and the united states to work on this. and, you know, the pope is really responding to the concerns of the bishops in cuba who would like to see diplomatic relations restored and especially to see the embargo ended. >> father thomas, thank you very much for being on. >> you're welcome. >>> coming up on breaking news tonight, u.s. investigators telling cnn that north korea is responsible for the hacking attack on sony. this is after the company cancelled the release of the movie that started it all, new details next. surface pro 3. mac: hey what's

." >> safer: just 380 years later in 1992, pope john paul ii apologized for the galileo affair. his successor, benedict centuries-old skirmishes between the church and science. in a sermon, he said even the big bang theory of the creation of the universe is not in conflict with faith because god's mind was behind it. >> this is the tricky, the tricky part... >> safer: and backstage at the pope's library, science is brought to bear on crumbling books, as restoration workers deal with water damage, mold and the ravages of time. it seems endless, this work, yes? >> angela nunez gaetan: it's endless, yes, obviously. >> safer: angela gaetan and the others go inch by inch, patching and strengthening ancient pages, scratching off paste put on by well-meaning restorers centuries ago-- paste that's turning acid, eating away at the page. mario tiburzi seldom reads what he's repairing-- it's too distracting, especially if the writer happens to be michelangelo. >> mario tiburzi: when i work on the michelangelo papers, it was the same that i work on mickey mouse paper. ( laughs ) >> safer: mickey mouse, eh? a diffi

we have been spoiled in past visits with pope john paul ii, pope benedict.ey were with us a number of days. i think pope francis will come mainly from the u.n., his concentration will be in philly. that's where we have this world day of families. he wants to spend two, three days there. i think we'll get him. >> we know how persuasive you can be. >> i hope. so. >> i'll preach better if i have something. >> thank you. if you haven't visited the white house during the holiday season, you are really missing out. it is always decked out to the 9s. this year the rec e decorations received a high update. our kristen welker has that story this morning. >> reporter: this is no ordinary christmas at 1,600 pennsylvania avenue. this year, the time honored tradition of decking the white house halls is going digital. >> we live in a digital age. >> from an interactive snow cape to five kind of 3d ornaments and the first interactive white house holiday cards. >> perichristmas. >> reporter: there are robotic versions of the sonny and bo the first family dogs. >> all the th

ii. his trip to cuba in 1988 was seen as another groundbreaking moment. his successor, benedict xvith did more with the bridge followup in 2012. francis joined everything together with quiet and secret diplomacy. pope have a significant intelligence service from diplomats who won't tell tales out of church to priests and nuns on the ground. >> he not only talks the talk he walks the walk. people trust him. he's a genius at creating this species of trust where people can talk and negotiate. >> reporter: in the holy land he prayed at a wall of hate and a victims' wall against terrorism and a talk in the gardens. it's done in the name of the holy see, the universal catholic church. >> he seems to have no interest in military industry and therefore can take on this special role of diplomacy. >> it's more a line of what might be called spirit of christmas diplomacy. if his latest effort is anything to go by he might just manage it. anthony, vinita? >> allen pizzey. it's so interesting the impact the pope has had. it's been so unexpected, the reach he's had in the end. >> the things h