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The State Security has once again targeted dissenting voices within the Cuban Catholic Church.
The priests Alberto Reyes Pías and Castor José Álvarez Devesa were summoned in Camagüey and subjected to a warning action due to their public stands against the country's political system. The citation was not intended for dialogue or clarification, but rather to intimidate.
Father Alberto Reyes himself explained what happened in a message on .
"Father Castor and I are well. The purpose of the summons was to issue us a warning for our public stances regarding the system, which they believe could constitute offenses punishable by law," he said.
The priest expressed his gratitude for the support received and made it clear that he does not intend to renounce his civic and spiritual commitment.
"Thank you all for your support and prayers. We will continue to seek the greater good for our homeland, for everyone in our homeland," he added.
The official warning confirms an increasingly visible practice: the use of the state’s repressive apparatus to silence religious leaders who do not confine themselves to liturgy but instead speak about the real suffering of the people.
Instead of listening to those voices, power threatens them with the penal code.
The summonses occurred without an initial explanation of the reason. Journalist Eugenia Gutiérrez alerted on social media that both priests had been called in by State Security "without a stated reason."
Shortly after, the writer Osvaldo Gallardo González specified that they would be questioned separately and that Father Castor was already being interrogated while Father Alberto would be summoned a few hours later.
The case is not isolated. It is part of a systematic pattern of pressure against religious individuals who advocate for human rights, freedom of expression, and civic dignity.
The implicit message is clear: those who criticize the system from the pulpit or on social media expose themselves to retaliation.
Father Castor José Álvarez Devesa, known as Father Castor in Camagüey, has been an uncomfortable figure for the regime for many years.
During the protests on July 11, 2021, he was arrested and beaten by the police while trying to protect a 14-year-old teenager who was being assaulted by an officer.
Since then, his name has been marked as that of a priest who does not just pray, but takes action when he sees injustice.
Antonio Rodiles, leader of the independent organization Estado de Sats, has described his work as follows: "He is convinced that turning a blind eye to the suffering of the people is contrary to what the mission of the Church should be."
Castor has called for free elections, respect for freedoms, and a profound change in the way the country is governed. In 2018, he even traveled to the Vatican with other priests to deliver a letter demanding democratic freedoms for Cuba.
For his part, Father Alberto Reyes Pías, the parish priest in Esmeralda, Camagüey, has also maintained a firm stance against the authorities.
In May 2024, he announced that he would ring the church bells 30 times every night there was a blackout, as a form of symbolic protest against the energy crisis affecting the population.
From his column on Facebook, "I've Been Thinking," Reyes regularly denounces the misery, abandonment and the lack of real solutions from the government.
It does not engage in partisan politics, but it does speak of ethics, dignity, and justice. And that, in the Cuban context, becomes a subversive act against the power.
The summons to these priests show that the government does not tolerate criticism, not even from religious spaces. The repression does not distinguish between activists, journalists, or clergy: anyone who articulates a coherent complaint is seen as an enemy.
Instead of addressing the people's complaints—blackouts, hunger, lack of medications, miserable salaries—the regime chooses to issue warnings, create files, and make threats.
This is how he tries to domesticate even the Church, one of the few institutions that still retains some moral authority among the population.
That two respected priests are summoned by the State Security to warn them about "crimes" related to public opinions highlights the level of intolerance within the system.
Actions are not punished; words are punished. Justice is not sought; silence is sought.
The pressure on the Church not only undermines religious freedom: it attacks one of the few spaces where people can still speak frankly about the country's pain. It also confirms that, in Cuba, telling the truth remains a risk.
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