we talk to father luke sweeney in our weekend conversation after the break >>> plus, that, needless to say is not a hot spring. the plun ing and the noble plunge behind it. all that and more is next. >>> the lava flow on hawaii's big island is on the move. it's making its way to a shopping center. that area has been under threat since june. that's when the abbingive volcano spewed lava. several buildings have been destroyed much. >> now to the push to normize relations between cuba and the united states. the vatican has been credited to broker the deal. i spoke with some of them in miami. [ bell tolls ] >> reporter: people asking for hope and praying for a miracle, that some say has already come. >> as a perp of faith. i went to the shrine in cuba it pay for a miracle. it's a miracle from god. much of the credit for reopen much diplomat icts negotiations has gone to pope francis. he spent 18 months facilitating talks. culminating in a prisoner swap and an ease of restrictions against cuba. the vatican pushed for a thaw between the two countries. starting with pope john paul ii. when th

the freedom of faith is the time to have just that >>> earlier today morgan talked about father luke sweeney of the cathedral seminary house of new york and talked about the church's involvement in the agreement. >> pope francis's personality, and his vision. church is one that is not going to take a passive role in geopolitics. you know, the church will get involved to bring people together. and believes the diplomatic core is meant to make small steps to bring hearts and people together, in order to bring peace. >> what about the personal history, he's the first latin american. he was born in argentina and lived under a dictatorship. did that play a role in his part in this? >> he has credibility on both sides. he knows the view of so many in latin american, vis-a-vis the united states. that gives him credibility with cuba. what gives him credibility with the united states is he knows what it's like to live under repress and suffering. >> from the human rights perspective, what change will this bring about for the people of cuba? >> it's a gamble, but one worth taking, a step worth taking.

father luke sweeney is the location director for the archdiocese and joins us in studio. pope francis writing letters to president obama and castro. is this the time of change predicted when the vatican announced its first latin america pope? >> i think so. the holy father believes where there are problems and issues, people need to speak. if we're in the business of striving to love our neighbor and also our enemies, we first need to learn to speak to our enemies. >> pope francis is the first latin american pontiff. what role did his background play in getting the u.s. and cuba to the table. >> he brings a lot of credibility to the table, because on the one hand, he shares the perspective of so many from latin america vis a vis the united states and its dominance in the hemisphere and in the area. he also knows of life under a totalitarian regime in the late 1970's and 1980's, as well. he knows the suffering that that kind of oppression can wreak, so brings that to the table. >> in 2012, pope den detect visited the island. have there been other attempts to get the two si