Cuba’s bishops urge fellow citizens to not be afraid of 'embarking on new paths’

Cuba’s Capitol in Havana. / Credit: Nigel Pacquette, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 17, 2025 / 17:26 pm (CNA).

On the occasion of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the bishops of Cuba have published a message denouncing the terrible conditions that prevail on the island, which they said “invade the soul” of its inhabitants, causing “the horizon of hope” to blur and “sadness to take hold of the hearts of all.”

“With despair and without joy, there is no future for any people,” the bishops wrote on June 15. While emphasizing that “the risen Jesus Christ is the source and goal of true hope,” they also pointed out that “it is desirable, legitimate, and worthy of humanity that every human being be able to live and work in peace, realize their personal and family dreams, and achieve progress ever more comprehensively.”

In this regard, the Cuban Catholic Bishops’ Conference (COCC, by its Spanish acronym) recalled that when people have this opportunity, “it’s easier to motivate the pursuit and effort of the common good.” 

The bishops lamented that the country’s most vulnerable, such as "the poor, the elderly, the homeless, the hungry, those mired in addiction,” and parents overwhelmed by the uncertain future they envision for their children feel “out of hope.”

The prelates said the prevailing daily routine, which forces “the strenuous search for basic goods,” contributes to rising emigration rates, which fragments Cuban families and fosters “disillusionment and apathy” among those who remain in the country, “weighed down by the repetition of promises that never materialize.”

*How to revitalize hope for Cubans?*

Addressing the question of how to “revitalize the hope of so many Cubans” is a matter that the country’s bishops say “cannot be put off.” Answering that question, the bishops contend, requires “the participation and responsibility of all the sons and daughters of this land, without exclusions or preconceived or ideological answers.”

The COCC stated that this question has been the central theme of its repeated messages in recent decades, “with the sole desire to serve the common good of the homeland.” 

The conference also recognized the work of many Cubans who “with self-denial and sacrifice” fight “for a better future for the country,” expressing its gratitude to God and to these people “for the witness they offer daily.”

“All throughout the country, those attentive and respectful of the suffering of their neighbors continually hear that things aren’t right, that we can’t keep going on like this, that something must be done to save Cuba and restore hope,” the bishops wrote.

“This cry is an invitation to everyone, but fundamentally to those who hold the highest responsibilities when it comes to making decisions for the good of the nation. It’s time to create a climate, free from internal and external pressures and conditions, where the structural, social, economic, and political changes that Cuba needs can be carried out,” the bishops emphasized.

The bishops recalled that since April 2024, they have asked all Catholics to “intensify [their] prayers for Cuba, its present and its future.” Furthermore, in communion with Pope Leo XIV, they affirmed that they always choose dialogue as a mechanism to remedy the national situation, accompanied by respect for human dignity and “confidence in the enormous potential of the Cuban people.”

“With the strength of the love we profess for God and for Cuba, we wish to offer a word of encouragement: Let us not be afraid to embark on new paths!” the COCC urged.

“The risen Christ and his mother and our mother, the Most Holy Virgin of Charity of Cobre [the country’s patroness], accompanies us today and always. May they move our minds and our wills, so that, putting aside hesitation, mistrust, and fear, we may be able to open the bright and beautiful door of hope for our people,” they concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.