surprises of the vatican library.begin with pope francis, who made history, again, this month helping the united states and cuba establish diplomatic relations for the first time in more than 50 years. the pope has a talent for bringing people together. you can see it even in how he signs his name. popes have a special way-- the name, followed by "p.p.," short for "papa," and the appropriate roman numeral. but this pope writes "francis"-- just "francis." humility has made the former jorge bergoglio a star, and a lot of his fans aren't even catholic. but don't mistake humility for weakness. just plain "francis" is also being signed on orders to transform institutions fossilized by tradition and stained by corruption. last spring, when we first reported this story, we talked to some of the people who know francis best. but don't ask them what he's likely to do next because, god only knows. in st. peter's square, march 2013, 100,000 faithful waited for a light to split the curtain. they'd adjusted their eyes to what they

the vatican has not said he will also travel to cuba then.sten ivereigh, talk about why the pope care so much about this issue and what his role was in these negotiations. >> well, when i wrote my biography, i did not realize that this was going to happen, the extraordinary breakthrough in the restoration of relations between u.s. and cuba. but i did comment in one of the chapters about his visit to cuba shortly after he became -- he wasn't quite archbishop of buenos aires but waiting in the wings to be made archbishop. he was sent to cuba as part of the delegation of latin american bishops who were accompanied pope john paul ii on his historic visit to the island. he wrote after the book called "dialogues" and it is a fascinating book now to look back in retrospect given what we now know about his involvement in bringing about this historic breakthrough. one thing that comes across in the book is that he has a very powerful critique mesilla to that of the cuban bishops, of communism. as a dead hand, something which actually runs against cuba

cnn vatican correspondent joins me now live and she's joined by the vatican senior communication adviser. take it away. >> the vatican is confirming tonight the pope's role in helping to broker this agreement saying in particular that pope francis wrote letters to the two presidents and that the vatican held high level talks here in october with delegations from the two countries. as you mentioned, we have here greg burke who is the vatican's senior communications adviser agreeing to help shed some light on vatican diplomacy and what went on behind the scenes. what was pope francis' role in this? >> pope francis got the ball rolling. the vatican has a long standing diplomatic core used to delicate conversations. pope francis got it going. he is all about building bridges. it's what he calls the culture of encounter. i'm sure not everyone in the u.s. is happy with what's happened here. there's no doubt about that. we've already seen that. and yet he says it's always better to be talking than not talking and that's really what this was about. >> part of what's interesting about pope franci

a spy swap was part of the deal pushed by the vatican. the u.s.bassy in havana and ease travel and trade restrictions. >>> here at cbs news, we are remembering a pioneering war reporter. richard hottelet died yesterday. he was 97. norah o'donnell looks at his impact on journalism. >> reporter: he was hired by edward r. murrow to cover world war ii. he came with experience, including a 1938 encounter with adolf hitler. >> bright blue eyes and he was another human being. he was lousy at that. >> reporter: reporting for united press in 1941, he was arrested and held in solitary for four months on trumped up espionage charges. his coverage included the d-day invasion. >> allied forces landed in france early this morning. i watched it hit the beach exactly on the minute of hr. >> reporter: his plane was shot down. he bailed out. in the 1960s, she served as our diplomatic correspondent. his advise to journalists, play it straight, do not tell them what you think. do not tell them what you feel, just tell them what you know. >> nine works of art stolen i

so has the vatican.t christmas time there is perhaps no more symbolic target for islamist militants than here at st. peters square. so security is on a heightened state of alert, given that pope francis himself has been specifically threatened by isis. but the pope gave no sign of that. his christmas eve message was one of hope, joy and peace. jim maceda, nbc news, the vatican. >>> the economic recovery appears to be picking up steam. the evidence is just everywhere from gas pumps and stores to wall street where the dow set another record on wednesday. here's nbc's brian mooar. >> reporter: not christmas bells but close enough as the dow reached another record above 18,000. just one sign the u.s. economy is on a roll. >> the key point really comes down to the job market. when we started this year, we just weren't adding nearly as many jobs per month as we are now. >> as jobs, wages, incomes, health prices, confidence. >> reporter: and don't forget plummeting pump prices. national average down 90 cents in

against the vatican rome. >> tears of joy as the vatican praises it's u.s. nuns at the end of the six-year investigation. >> your message today shows that you do understand our struggle in the faith of the church in challenging times. >> reporter: the report noted achievements and challenges faced by americans 50,000 nuns and the dwindling numbers, down 125,000 since the '60s. the report urges them not to displace christ while going about their social work. but it also offered praise for selflessly attending to the physical, moral and social needs of individuals, especially the poor and marginalized. the open talk in roam is that many had become too secular, too feminist. teams paid on site visits to communities of nuns. while most cooperated with the vatican probe, some refused to talk about finances and assets believing the vatican had an eye on them. >> we know the reports is based on the study of written responses and countless hours of attentive listening. >> tuesday's report is one of two. the others probe into the leadership conference of religious, w

the agreement was reached after 18 months of secret talks brokered by the vatican. the u.s. will ease trade and travel restrictions and establish an embassy in havana. the president called for an end to the economic embargo against cuba, but that is up to congress. he says isolating cuba has not worked. >> we will end an outdated approach that failed to advance our interests and instead, we will normalize relations between our two countries. >> susan mcginnis is in washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this historic deal was finalized on tuesday during a phone conversation between president obama and castro. this is the first time the leaders have had an exchange since 1959 when fidel castro and his revolutionary overthrew the cuban government. here are the basics of the deal. it includes a spy swap. the u.s. exchanges three cuban intelligence officers in exchange for an unknown spy. this is a cuban national held in cuba for 20 years. cuba released alan gross. he is a u.s. aid worker held five years. gross thanked those who secured his release after arriving i

the vatican is a sovereign state under international law.diplomatic relations with about 180 countries and it takes its diplomatic and political role very seriously. therefore people in the vatican always like it when the pope is seen as a serious player. now, after the last week, in the pivotal rope that pope francis played in the restoration of diplomatic relations wean the united states and cuba with even the president of the united states acknowledging the pope's centrality to that breakthrough, francis has gotten a enormous amount of political capital, including among his own team who really like that perception of the pope as an important figure. the question now, randi, is how does he choose to spend it? i think we saw him on monday drawing on some of that political capital to say, look, the price of this success is there are some established patterns of doing a business around here that simply can't continue and i'm serious about breaking them. >> and what about in 2015? what do you expect this pope might do? >> well, look, i think t

the vatican is a remarkably dinky place.ld joke is how many people work at the vatican, about half. depending on how you count as it is about 5,200 people work there. this is to try to render the rockers the of the church of more than a billion people. so, there are no protocols. people have daydreamed about this since people have daydreamed, but i think wisely so. you don't break the protocol until we have seen what we are dealing with. if there are earthlike planets common in the solar system, if those planets managed to develop life. if that life is intelligent and if that life is able to communicate to us and we are able to communicate. those are a lot of laughs and if they turn out not to be true, the question will never come up. it's always dangerous to hypothesize too much. we always hypothesize with inadequate data. it's dangerous to believe the hypothesis. so, no there actually are not articles like that. there are enough little committees of people making these decisions. >> thank you for being here. i teach scienc

nbc's jim maceda has our report. >> reporter: at the vatican a solemn midnight mass. pope francis ushering in the holiday that marks the birth of christ for more than 2 billion worshippers worldwide. many in conflict zones. u.s. troops in afghanistan singing by candlelight. and pilgrims to christ's birthplace, bethlehem in the west bank. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: american david bogeri came from iowa. >> to proclaim the name of jesus, not to talk politics. >> reporter: but there are tensions here even at christmas. palestinians in santa costumes protested israeli occupation and scuffled with police. elsewhere santas were making friends and spreading joy. >> it brought a little bit of christmas to thailand. >> reporter: in baghdad, bringing presents to christian children who fled isis with their families. in france scene of recent attacks by suspected militants police tightened security, so has the vatican. at christmastime there's perhaps no more symbolic target for islamist militants than here at st. peter's square, so security is on a heightened state of alert

vatican thinking is always long term. one doesn't e peblth immediate results.k pope francis is in that line of popes that don't hesitate to get involved with political issues, that cross the boundaries of religious issues. >> could this have happened -- i know people say the pope acted as a guarantor. i'm not sure what that means. did you hear me, delia? i don't think delia can hear me. all right. we lost delia. there you have it, pope francis played a big part in the normalizing of relations between the united states and cuba. >>> still to come in the "newsroom," the boston marathon bombing suspect makes his first appearance in court in nearly a year and a half. security extremely tight around the federal courthouse in boston. we'll take you to boston next. blood clot in my leg. ua my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. so he talked to me about xarelto®. >>xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or changes to your

so has the vatican. at christmas time there is perhaps no more symbolic target for islamist militants than here at st. peter's square. security is on a heightened state of alert given that pope francis himself has been specifically threatened by isis. ♪ >> reporter: but the pope gave no sign of that. his christmas eve message was one of hope, joy and peace. jim maceda, nbc news, the vatican. >>> just this past hour, pope francis delivered his annual christmas day message at the basilica. he urged people not to be indifferent to the suffering of so many around the world. >>> meteorologist domenica davis is here with your christmas day forecast. good morning, domenica. >> good morning, merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> not a bad morning out there if you like the snow. to the west, that's where you have a lot of snow coming in from the cascades, right into the rocky mountains. still dealing with rain from seattle, portland, down through medford. the rain we saw yesterday in san francisco, that has end

do you think the vatican's role created tension. now the vaticans push to normize relations, which here has a democratic mandate. >> it's an emotional issue when you deal with families that came over with change in their pockets and lost everything. the church, especially in cuba, realises the suffering going on among the people and is wanting to be an agent of dialogue and bringing people together, even our enemies. >> speaking of dialogue. pope francis had a lot to say about this. let's listen to what he said. >> today we are happy because we have seen two countries which moved away interest each other take a step closer. >> this is something your ambassador achieved with your diplomacy. >> program sis wrote to both. why did he decide to play a role in this deal? >> pope francis's parliamentary, and his vision of the church is one that is not going to take a passive role in geopolitics. the church will be involved to bring people together. he brings that the vatican diplomatic core is to make small steps to bring peace together. >

delegation, a cuban delegation met in the vatican. the pope apparently very engaged in this had written to president obama, had written to president castro. had encouraged this type of transfer to occur for the purpose of easing relations between the two countries. so important to point out that the pope was instrumental in this as well. i also mentioned just a few moments ago the fact that the u.s. would be encreasing and opening the ability for americans to travel to cuba. i want to make it clear, though, it still won't be able to -- americans won't be able to go for the purpose of tourism. that's something that congress would have to approve. still it is significant that more americans will be able to travel to cuba over those 12 does naeesignations i talk abou among them business, journalism, going to work in cuba, for example, for humanitarian purposes. i want to read one quote says, quote, does not need to be a relationship frozen in time. i think that characterizes and captures where the u.s. stands right now when in terms of t

today. >> this was tight in the vatican.just this morning i got word from somebody this would be finalized today, we would only say something right after the president. the vatican has released a statement talking about pope pope francis writing a letter in recent months to both castro and barack obama are working on this quest here. it is very much in the spirit of francis. there is a live debate about this, francis has always been up for the culture of encounter and bring people together even though they might have such bitter feelings over time. the vatican has been very good at diplomacy for a very long time and this is the fruit of it. the irony of it is we have kept relations with cuba even though he got very difficult under castro, was never very easy, took a long time for john paul ii to get there, but it is better to have relations than not having them. >> it seems this particular pope has gotten more involved in these sort of things that have little questions around them than others. your thoughts on that. >> . the

the vatican has never cut off ties with cuba.r in 1998, john paul ii was the first pope to go to cuba. at that time, pope francis wrote a book about the dialogues with castro and john paul ii. we see a keen interest then. certainly as much credit goes to the pope. it also goes to the vatican diplomacy which has a long history of keeping talks open and dialogue with cuba. >> i was there in 1998 when pope john paul ii was in cuba. we see years of diplomacy. thanks so much. >>> 37 minutes after the hour. the embargo against cuba, that is not over. it is still in place. nevertheless, american businesses already salivating at the possibility of a new relationship with cuba. cristina alesci is here with that. >> if the sanctions are eventually lifted, we are talking more than just a boost in car sales. we are talking about many american companies that could profit from the increase in trade. first off, companies that make soap and packaged goods could benefit. it could be a big win for american carmakers, plus another big one, travel.

he's at the vatican tonight. allen? >> reporter: good evening, scott.pope francis sent letters to fesident obama and cuban president rauÚl castro last summer. the u.s. ambassador to the holy fae says a senior vatican official met face to face with both sides in october. as the daryl bishop of -- the archbishop of miami put it, the vat condition did what it is supposed to do, build peace. secrecy is the lifeblood of the world's smallest and arguably most leak-proof state. the announcement came on pope francis' 78th birthday, perhaps the first present for the first latin american pope. scott? >> reporter: allen, thank you very much. >> pelley: of course, this falling out if you will between the united states and cuba has its roots in the cold war. the communist revolution here and the support of cuba by the soviet union. we were curious what the reaction was in russia today, and charlie d'agata went out to find out. >> reporter: good evening, scott. the russians were actually quick ll say they support the u.s. move, calling it a long overdue measure and p

allen pizzey is at the vatican. >> reporter: good evening. pope francis sent letters to president obama and cuban president rauÚl castro last summer. u.s. ambassador to the holy sea said a senior vatican official met face to face with representatives of both sides in october. as the arc archbishop of miami , the pope did what he was supposed, to build bridges and promote peace. secrecy the lifeblood of the smallist and arguably most leak proof state, the vatican. the announcement came on pope francis' 78th birthday. perhaps the best birthday president for the first whatten american pope. >> o'donnell: we wonder how today's news is going down in moscow. charlie d'agata is there. charlie? >> reporter: good evening. the russians are actually quick to say they support the u.s. move, calling it a long overdue measure and proof sanctions never work. but ever since the rungs took over crimea, president vladimir putin has been actively courting cuba. he was just in avenue nay in july where he was promising to write off $30 billion in debt. talking ab

the vatican, and what role the vatican played.ing and on the opposite side. with a are you going to do with your brothers and sisters in d.c. when the ruling majority that's coming in says they won't fund an embassy there, they won't fund a diplomatic mission there, so comment on those two aspects. please. >> i praise the vatican. i praise pope francis for his involvement in trying to encourage both countries to, to move toward the announce thamt was made yesterday. i think the vatican by the way has long been pushing for better relations between our two countries. as you remember, pope john paul ii delivered a mass in cuba which i happened to have the privilege to be at. in terms of my colleagues who are saying they're not going to fund an embassy and going to tri to disrupt all this. how silly. we're the greatest country in the world and if for some reason they're afraid to engage a country like cuba? the bottom line is, we need to go forward, we need to behave like a grown-up. and try to influence cuba in a positive way. having

peter's basilica in the vatican. this is such a beautiful scene. want to bring in father jonathan morris, fox news analyst, for a moment if he's standing by and watching this too. ♪ >> i am, harris. >> what are your thoughts right now. i know the pope had things he specifically wanted to focus on. >> well, this is, obviously, the high point of these days. this is the midnight mass celebrating the birth of jesus and so you can expect, because it's pope francis, that he might go off script a little bit, but the main part of the script will be very simply that god is with us, that god sent his only son so that we might have life and have life in abundance through redemption. >> we're going to keep you with us as we cover this right after the break. father morris, sit by. and we will watch this as it's happening. beautiful. j and we rejoin now the christmas eve service, the mass that the pope is celebrating right now in vatican city. this is st. peter's basilica in the vatty van and -- vatican and moments ago we were listening and have father morris si

pope francis says the world needs god's tenderness during midnight mass at the vatican. in this country, rough holiday weather turns travel into trushl. >>> protesters clash again with police in suburban st. louis where a white police officer shot a black teenager tuesday night. police say the teen point add gun at the officer. >>> and now playing, "the interview." the controversial north korea comedy is available on the internet and opens today at hundreds of independent theater. captioning funded by cbs >>> this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, december 25th, 2014. good morning and merry christmas. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. this is the day when billions of people around the world celebrate the birth of jesus christ. thousands flock to christmas services in the biblical town of bethlehem where jesus was born and thousands more went to the vatican last night where pope francis celebrated the traditional midnight christmas eve mass. anna matranga is there. >> reporter: pope francis celebrated the traditional christmas eve mass at the basilica. in h

took on the vatican bureaucracy, helped cuba and the u.s.each that truly historic agreement, and on this christmas eve, we'll look at what is next for the catholic leader. >>> and a young woman learned she only has weeks to live and her boyfriend's touching reaction to that prognosis stuns this family and friends with a surprise wedding. then they got the best wedding present possible. something that is changing their lives. their story coming up. >>> christmas eve mass is beginning at the vatican. look at this live pictures here inside. not exactly midnight mass. local time is just about 9:30 p.m. leader of the catholic church taking on the second christmas of his papacy. christmas eve services in bethlehem. fights broke out between security and a marching band in manger square. pope francis made that historic trip to bethlehem this past year. part of a banner year for the pope who also traveled to turkey. he helped bring longtime cold war enemies cuba and u.s. together for a new opening. we talked about that last week. on monday, pope fran

and goes on to thank the vatican and the pope for helping in all of this. he said this does not mean things have been resolved. antonio mora joins us. what is your reaction. >> he really has gone further than any cuban leader has in more than five decades, in saying we have agreed to restore relations. it's a huge step. >> let's listen to marco rubio, and we'll come back. >> -- become free and open and democratic, and that's why this announcement from the white house is so profoundly disappointing. it is a victory for the oppressive cuban government, but a serious setback for the repressed cuban people. the white house has conceded everything, and gained little. they gained no commitment on the part of the cuban regime to freedom of press or freedom of speech or elections. sno binding commitment was made to truly open up the internet, no commitment was made to allowing the establishment of political parties, or to even begin the semblance of a transition to a democracy. the only thing the cuban government agreed to do was free 53 political prisoners who cou

i'm calling for a trade embargo on vatican city.

the vatican facilitated these attacks. >> the vatican was involved in getting the release of allan gross. >> but you you don't think they were involved in the talk about lifting the sanctions? >> i would also encourage the pope to take up the call of democracy and freedom. i think the people of cuba deserve democracy every bit as much as the people of argentina do, or the people of brazil do. every other nation in the hemisphere. how come cuba is less free than all these other countries in the regi region? >> what about the administration says they don't have the money, because there's an intersection already there, th. >> what about the ambassador, g dwoor to cuba? >> i don't think we should be sending ambassadors to repressive regimes like this, in some cases like to the geo political atmospherelike china. american products flood that market and vice versa. it's no more free today than it was in the early 1970s. >> so you call this a sad day? >> it's a terrible day for democracy, it's a sad day for those who want freedom and liberty for the cuban people. it's a dramatic step in the dir

pope francis used his annual christmas speech to mount a scathing attack on the vatican. the pontiff attacked the central administration of the roman catholic church accusing cardinals, bishops, and priests of hypocrisy. he also said there using their careers to grab power and wealth. >> of christmas speech, but there was little festive cheer in the room. faces worst tony is pope francis lasted what he called the 15 elements of the vatican central administration. -- faces were stony. >> he called for members to examine their consciences, condemning the evils of gossip and announcing clerics for read and what he termed spiritual outsiders, forgetting why they became priests in the first place. >> they are victims of careers and opportunity. that honor people. they are people who are concerned about what they had to receive, not what they have to give. >> unlike previous pontiffs, pope francis never worked in the cuerria before he was elected. is not the first time he has criticized it, but it is the harshest. but in my opinion, it shows this year to reforms, there is still

he took steps to reform the vatican finances and created a new subsidies commission. he also led a meeting of bishops where controversial issues were openly debated such as welcoming gays, cohabiting couples, and catholics who are divorced and remarried. though no changes were made to church teachings the new tone led to speculation that some may be looming. francis remains hugely popular, although conservatives and liberals alike were troubled by some of his actions. as same-sex marriage became legal in even more u.s. states religious denominations continue to wrestle over how to respond. the presbyterian church usa allowed pastors to perform gay marriages in states where it's legal. but in the united methodist church there were high-profile church trials of ministers who performed such ceremonyies. there was even growing debate among evangel ankles when to accept same-sex marriage. religious groups were sharply divided over a supreme court ruling in the so-called hobby lobby case. 5-4 the justices said despite a requirement in the affordable care act, some for-profi

senior vatican analyst john allen. thanks, john. pope is expected to begin his remarks in a little more than an hour. cnn coverage of that event will happen when it begins from the vatican. >>> coming next here, billions of dollars in play. right now in spain they're drawing numbers in the world's biggest lottery at a time when people in spain are really suffering. we'll have a live report. >>> cuba's leader raul castro welcomed the news of a proposal to normalize diplomatic relations with the u.s., but who stands to gain or lose if the long-time trade embargo is lifted? as cnn's rosa flores reports, cubans hope their future will improve. >> reporter: everybody loves cuba, says jesus ramos liova, an independent contractor renting this cab from the cuban government for about 10 u.s. dollars a day. he's not allowed to drive tourists. most of his time is spent donating services to the state, which means driving less fortunate cubans for free. on a good day he takes home about 10 u.s. dollars in profit. he hopes that if americans sudden

there were negotiations at the vatican here. >> the vatican has actually played a role as an intermediary raul castro government and the barack obama administration since 2009. the vatican was involved in pressing four meetings then, the church in cuba as well has played an interesting role and a number of other countries have also. what's been going on over the last year, the secret diplomacy, top secret diplomacy to bring the two countries together for talks to arrive at this final agreement is really a concerted effort, kind of behind the scenes diplomacy. there's a long history of this that we have recorded in our book, but it really shows that out of the public eye, two countries can arrive at a new dawn, a new day as barack obama has put it in future relations. >> it's interesting when we look at this pope and the things he has done since his papacy began both around the world it has challenged catholic doctrine, but also on the international front. of course, it's not lost on us that he is latin american, very significant. >> yes, and his country, argentina, has been in the forefro

he has renewed the vatican's diplomatic capital. we saw that with the role he played in paving the way with the u.s. and cuba. they want that to continue. they realize the price is they have to be willing to step out of their zone skin, so to speak, and get on board the train. >> thanks, john. a beautiful late morning in rome. thank you for that. >>> breaking overnight. french police arrest a man in the city of dijon. at least 12 people injured. the suspect was heard yelling allah akbar. it is arabic for god is great. a day earlier, french police shot and killed a man who shot and stabbed two officers shouting that same phrase. >>> a critical victory for kurdish fighters. hundreds of citizens under siege for over a month were rescued in the counter attack. isis positions were the target of 47 u.s. air strikes last week. >>> new this morning, a united airlines flight from seattle to newark has been diverted to spokane. united spokesperson says the aircraft landed safely. there were no injuries reported. a new plane is being brought i

some vatican officials view themselves as lords of the manor superior to everyone and everything ande denounced the pathology of power and warned against the terrorism of gossip calling it a form of satanic assassination that can kill reputations in cold blood. vatican watchers have never heard such a powerful violent speech from a pope and suggest it was informed by the results of a secret investigation launched under pope benedict. >> in a few hours michael fwrim is expected to plead guilty to a felony charge of tax evasion. his lawyer would not comment. a 20 count indictment in april alleged that grim hid more than 1 murder in the second degree in sales and wages at a restaurant that he coowned. the congressman pleaded not guilty and promised to fight the charges truth and nail. despite the indictment the former marine was reelected by a wide margin in november. he could face up to three years behind bars. we turn our attention to the business news for you and another very impressive finish for wall street. gain across the board and the dow closing at 17,959. will we get to 18,000

the vatican has one eye on appropriations.espite the apprehension, today we are looking at an affirmative report, which we know is based on the study of written responses and only countless hours of listening. >> tuesday's report is one of two, the other a probe into the leadership conference of women, represent 80% of u.s. nuns which the vatican accuses of breaking away from doctrine, that report not expected until 2017. >> there was no reference to spend ask criticism, and at a mass in rome pope fran since said exiling the report had been anar yous experience for them. >> all right, appreciate it. >> sony pictures is struggling to contain the fall out after hackers stole information for thousands of it's employees. two of them are now filing suit. hackers who broke into the computer season last month, are now threatening violence on christmas day. the group calling itself guardians of peace, first launched a cyber to the upcoming movie spoofing north korea. but this new threat takes the temperature up a notch. jennifer londo

. >> translator: recognize the support of the vatican.> president obama and raul castro thanked pope francis for his role in brokering a deal between the u.s. and cuba today. pope francis first discussed relation when the two met at the vatican in march of this year and followed that up with written letters with both men. the solely see received delegations from the two countries in the vatican last october and provided offices to facilitate a constructive dialogue on delicate matters. the holy see will continue to ensure that support for initiatives which both nations will undercake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the well willing of their respective citizens. joining me now is a senior fellow for latin america studies at the council on foreign relations. it's quite striking to see the pope playing a role on anything involving cuba. there was once a time where that was unimaginable. >> pope john paul went to cuba. it was an historic visit. he at the time made a plea for cuba to open to the world and for the world to o

vatican investigation six years in the making.nning, most nuns in the state saw this as a crackdown. they expected it would produce some punitive measures or new controls or new oversights by rome. in the report issued this tuesday, there was none of that. it was his praise of the american nuns and the leading rolls in the church's education and health care and social outreach. francis set aside 2015 for celebrating the roles of men and women, religious, in the church. we expect him to make a big deal out of this. it is another area where the message of francis has shifted from confrontation to healing to dialogue and outreach. that has become one of the cornerstones of his pontiffcate. >> we are expecting him to begin soon. john allen, we will come back with other analysis. thank you. >>> new york on edge after two police officers were murdered over the weekend. what we are learning about the shooter and moments leading up to the tragedy in just moments. ♪ when you don't get enough sleep... and your body aches... you're not yours

there is the pope saying, come to the vatican. we'll keep it secret. you can have all your discussions here and work in privacy. >> there are reports that bells had been ringing at cuban churches. the role of the catholic church here may have been very, very significant. >> david, we've been expecting this news conference from alan gross, he's been described as a humanitarian aid worker. but that may not be the entire story. i wonder if you can explain why. >> it's unclear, to be fair. alan gross has a history of traveling the world, he has donahue man tearan work. but when you look at this project, where he was picked up, and what he was doing, he was working with a company that was married-based firm that had subcontracted from the u.s. sort of an independent branch of the state department. they were working on a project, this is a direct quote from the website, to implement activities and support rule of law and human rights and consensus building to strengthen civil society in support of a justice and democratic governance in cuba. at the time ther

pope francis celebrates mass add the vatican. his christmas message when we the vatican. his christmas message when we come back. blrk if you have high blood sugar, ask your doctor about farxiga. it's a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. with one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. and, although it's not a weight-loss or blood-pressure drug, farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower blood pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling or difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you have any of these symptoms, stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including

. >>> plus, the pope's scathing remarks for vatican leaders during his annual christmas address.e going to want to hear what he had to say. stay with us. >>> welcome back. authorities are investigating an attack on christmas shoppers in western france. we show you the scene and the city of nant. ten were injured when a van plowed into shoppers at an outdoor market. the driver then stabbed himself although we should report he's expected to recover. a prosecutor says so far this is not appear to be an act of terrorism. >>> that incident monday is the third attack to take place in france since saturday. french authorities say it reflects a dangerous trend, a growing number of radicalized french muslims. senior international correspondent jim bittermann has more. >> reporter: twice over the weekend unnerving attacks which some here consider acts of terrorism. in di ona driver reportedly shouting god is great and claiming to be acting in the name of the children of palestine drove around the city center for a half hour plowing into pedestrians sending 13 to the hospital. and in a subu

he has moved to reform the vatican bank and he has moved on issues like sex abuse. he's really getting going now laying the foundation for the kind of church not only that he wants, but the church that he wants to pass on to the men who are you going to come after him. >> is it significant that he is an outsider. as we mentioned he ask the first non-european pope in 1500 years and he's not benedict? >> yes, and the other thing to remember he is the first jesuih pope, the church's largest religious order. and it had a long history of tense relations with rome. they've always viewed actions coming out of the vatican with a lot of suspicion and uncomfortableness, i guess. and so he embodies that. so when he challenges power, when he asks why are we doing things the way that we do, that's very jesuit of him, very much a part of his dna and you see it playing out in his programs. >> ifill: he talked about ailments and diseases. it didn't sound like he is saying here say problem we can fix, like, for instance, the priest sexual abuse scandal. let's fix that he's saying th

there were few smiles in that vatican audience today. the pope finished on a beat note, before wishing everyone a merry christmas. francis said they should try to be joyful, that a dose of humour should do them some good. >> not sure that was an up note. the reverend paul is the executive director, religion editor that is of the "the huffington post." good to have you on the programme. what do you make of this? >> this is something he feels strongly about. >> waits for the christmas season to lecture the guys in public. >> let's think about christmas. it's a season, it is a time of self-renection, waiting for the new life to come in. what better time to think about ways to bring in new life and thinking about ways that you might let old shatos go, and i think that that is - sh is pastoral tough love. >> i'm not sure that he let it go. he's getting on top of it, beginning to get on top of it. >> he did something similar last year, and people were shocked then. he talked about mediocrity and gossip. he was like isn't this a party, aren't y

. >> senior vatican analyst, john allen, joins us now with more.n, what can we expect to hear from the pope and his christmas message today do you think? >> good evening, rosemary. this speech is build by the vatican as the pope's state of the union speech. as you say, meeting with the upper echelons of the vatican. cardinals archbishops. an opportunity for the pope to look over the last year. and one to come. francis is an activist pope. internally and externally. internally launched a pro gram of reform at the vatican including a thorough financial house cleaning. also has a new commission to lead the fight against child sexual abuse in the catholic church. externally involved in the affairs of the day as you said, just coming off a big diplomatic coup in terms of having played a pivotal role restoration of diplomatic relations between the u.s. and cuba. early in january, second foreign trip to asia, to the philippines. and sep o we may get a hint. all of what's on the to do list. one thing to add. francis has broken protocol. in addition to meet

first, pope francis's celebrity christmas today at the vatican with his traditional message to the world's 1.2 billion catholics. he used those words today to focus his attention on all of those weeping in the world this christmas, singling out refugees, hostages, and all this suffering and conflicts in the middle east, africa, and ukraine. >> jesus is the salvation for every person and for every people. i ask him, the savior of the world, to look upon our brothers and sisters in iraq and syria. for too long now, they have suffered the effects of ongoing conflict. together with those born to other ethnic and religious groups, they are suffering a brutal persecution. collects>> let's go to the vatican to get more from our reporter. >> it was a very strong message a somber message for those around the world celebrating what is normally a joyful occasion, the birth of jesus christ. pope francis had a very strong message here condemning the violent conflicts we have seen in syria, iraq, and other trouble spots like ukraine and nigeria. but it was his particular plea his heartfelt plea, for chi