Cuba began releasing some of its prisoners Thursday in the hours after President Joe Biden lifted its status as a state sponsor of terrorism.

President-elect Donald Trump gave Cuba the status in his National Security Presidential Memorandum 5 during his first term, and he is expected to revert the status once he takes office for a second term on Jan. 20.

The Vatican has long lobbied Cuba to issue clemency ahead of the jubilee year. This followed Biden commuting 1,499 sentences and pardoning 39 Americans last month alone.

Cuba plans to release as many as 553 prisoners in total. Some of the early releases included protesters from 2021, which added up to nearly the same number that Cuba has promised to release.

“It is significant that Havana authorities linked this decision directly to Pope Francis’ appeal, who, in the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, and then on several other occasions, called for acts of clemency, as has often occurred during the Holy Year,” Cardinal Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said in a statement. “We hope that 2025 will continue in this direction and that good news will multiply, especially with a truce for the many ongoing conflicts.”

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Havana did not credit its new status but instead credited the jubilee year for inspiring its clemencies.

The Florida Democratic Party condemned Biden’s decision to lift sanctions against Cuba. Other Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) also disagreed with the move.