The Cuban priest Olbier Hernández, based in Spain, answered with spiritual strength to a question that many Cubans inside and outside the island grapple with between despair and faith: Has God abandoned Cuba?
In an interview granted to journalist Tania Costa for CiberCuba, Father Olbier reflected on the historical roots of the country's spiritual and moral crisis, the weight of communism on national consciousness, and the urgency of reconnecting with faith as a path to freedom.
“The Cuban people have forgotten about God. People were afraid, abandoned their faith, and churches were persecuted. The regime manipulated religious language and tried to replace the transformed man of the Gospel with the new man of communism,” said the priest.
He also recalled how in the early years of the so-called Revolution, between 1961 and 1962, the regime expelled priests and nuns, boarding them onto the ship Covadonga bound for Spain, in what he described as “a brutal blow against the Cuban Catholic Church.”
For Father Olbier, that spiritual and political persecution has repeated itself in many forms throughout history: "There has always been a Covadonga in Cuba. Anyone who stands out in dissent or in independent religious life ultimately ends up being expelled or marginalized."
However, the priest assured that God has not abandoned Cuba: “God is where the suffering is; He is in every homeless home, in every political prisoner, in every family without freedom. God is amidst the suffering of the Cuban people. It is this people who must discover God in order to find the strength to break the chains of the dictatorship.”
A faith that translates into action
From Spain, Father Olbier is currently leading a humanitarian campaign called “A Mattress, A Hope for Cuba”, aimed at sending mattresses, tools, medicines, hygiene products, and food to families in Eastern Cuba who lost everything after Hurricane Melissa made landfall.
The initiative —coordinated with the 'Tocan a mi Puerta' Foundation and the 'Cuba Solidaria' project— centralizes the collection of donations in Valencia, where the Cuban community in exile has responded generously.
Those interested can contribute directly at the parish center located at 43 Archena Street or through solidarity transfers under the concept "Colchón Cuba Solidaria."
This is not the first time the priest has channeled assistance to the island. Back in 2021, from the San Miguel de Soternes parish, Hernández organized a large collection of medications in response to the shortage and healthcare collapse affecting Cuba during the height of the pandemic.
Through these actions, Father Olbier shows that his faith translates into concrete works. His charitable efforts and message of hope have become a symbol of moral resistance against the neglect of the regime and the resignation of the people.
“God does not forget anyone,” he insisted. “He is in every Cuban who suffers, in every mother who prays for her imprisoned son, in every elderly person who goes hungry. Cuba needs to believe again in order to rise up.”
Filed under:
