Pope Francis is being hailed around the world — and criticized by some in the U.S. — for his pivotal role in brokering the historic breakthrough in relations between Washington and Havana, a role attributed to his background as the first Latin American pope and to the special position he occupies. "Pope Francis did what popes are supposed to do: Build bridges and promote peace," Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said after the announcement Wednesday about the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement. Yet, as with most surprises, there are other, often less obvious factors that help explain how this happened.