Obama should not miss the chance to normalize relations with Cuba, said US Catholic Bishops, who considered that the US President is acting quite slowly in meeting his promise about a new beginning of bilateral relations with the island.

The opportunities offered by current circumstances must not be missed, the Bishop of Orlando City Thomas Wenski told reporters in Havana. Last April Barack Obama said he would lift current restrictions on Cuban Americans so that they travel to the island and send remittances to their relatives, but four months after the announcement, no new regulations have been published yet, said Bishop Wenski, who is visiting Havana as an envoy from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Meanwhile, the director for Latin America of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Andrew Small, said the slow pace of Obama’s action is, to a certain extent, a result of an ongoing review of US foreign policy by his administration.

They are seemingly taking it step by step, which is something to be concerned about because there is so much to do in that direction that you could think they will not get very far, said Small.

The US bishops support the lifting of the US economic blockade of Cuba. They are being headed by the Cardinal of Boston Sean O’Malley who will pay a five-day to the island in order to supervise the reconstruction of temples that were severely damaged by three hurricanes in 2008. The Conference made a donation of money for the reconstruction works.