The bishops of Cuba say the island nation’s economic situation and its people’s dire circumstances can no longer be ignored and must be addressed by its leaders. Source: OSV News.
In an unusually blunt statement published on Sunday, the Cuban bishops conference said that throughout the country, “it is continuously heard that things are not well, that we cannot continue like this, that something must be done to save Cuba and restore hope to us”.
“It is time to create a climate, without internal and external pressures or conditions, where the structural, social, economic, and political changes that Cuba needs can be carried out,” the bishops said.
Cuba’s economic woes have worsened over the past few years, including inflation, rising poverty, low quality of life and a dilapidated electric grid that causes frequent blackouts.
According to a report by Spain’s University of Navarra, one expert said Cuba is experiencing its “worst crisis since it gained independence from Spain after the war of 1898”.
In its Jubilee Year message, titled “Pilgrims of Hope,” the Cuban bishops conference acknowledged that inequalities and injustices in the world make the prospect of hope challenging, particularly in Cuba.
“Even among us, many live in despair, trapped by uncertainty and confusion in the face of a dramatic present and a future that is not clearly seen, because there is an impression that we have lost the levers, the dynamism, and the will to change the very harsh living conditions of the people,” the bishops said.
The lack of basic necessities and electricity, as well as increasing emigration, has provoked “disenchantment and apathy” among the people who are “overwhelmed by the repetition of promises that never materialise.”
The conference called for decisive action and structural changes, particularly from those in positions of responsibility, to address the nation’s challenges and restore hope to Cuba.
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Cuban bishops urge leaders to address nation’s economic crisis (Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News)
