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The Cuban priest Alberto Reyes delivered a direct message to the international left in an extensive reflection published on his Facebook profile, where he stated that the model implemented on the Island has been a failure and urged that a reality, which he claimed does not exist, should no longer be defended.
"To whom it may concern," the text begins, explaining an Italian phrase that serves as his starting point: "Me la sento di dirtelo." He adds: "And I 'me la sento' to say something about that reality we call 'the left'."
Reyes clarifies that he is addressing “the entire left that lives outside of Cuba, my homeland,” and questions the idealized image that, in his view, has been built over decades about the Cuban system.
“Dreams are beautiful, ideals too, and for a long time my island has been for the left, both European and Latin American, the dream and ideal of what has never existed: a successful socialism, a joyful and prosperous Marxist-Leninist country,” he wrote.
According to the priest, this vision aligns with a narrative upheld by propaganda. "That is what they were asked to see through meticulous propaganda, and that is what you have insisted and continue to insist on seeing," he stated.
In one of the central passages of his message, he was emphatic: "The Cuban model has been a failure, and I would like to ask the left to finally accept this." He added that while there are external attempts to encourage this political project, "my people suffer, my people endure, my people are dying."
Reyes described the daily reality in the Island as an existence similar to that of "nations at war," where "everything becomes a exhausting odyssey: food, medicine, transportation, education, working conditions...". He also denounced the fear of expressing oneself freely and the vulnerability before "a judicial system that condemns any differing opinion."
The priest argued that it would not be honest to present Cuba as a successful model. “I would have liked to say the opposite, I would have liked to shout: ‘Come, we have found the formula for happiness, we have achieved a earthly paradise, we have discovered how to banish injustice and misery from this world!’ But it would be a mockery on my part to invite you to live in a mirage, beautiful and hopeful, like all mirages, but empty and false.”
In that regard, he called for respect towards the Cubans living under that system: “Please, stop mocking my people, stop mindlessly defending a reality that does not exist.”
One of the most powerful statements in the text encapsulates its appeal: “Respect each other and accept that Cuba is not what you would have wanted it to be, and that 67 years is more than enough time to demonstrate that it never will be.”
Reyes stated that those who believe in Marxism-Leninism have the right to defend their ideas, but he urged them not to "applaud the failure of socialism in my land with speeches of feigned pride." He concluded, "And if you don't want to say it plainly that we have failed, then at least remain silent; learn to be quiet, as that can also be a dignified option."
The message concludes with a quote from Oscar Wilde: “We are all in the mud, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
The post generated numerous reactions on social media, mostly supportive, with comments expressing gratitude to the priest for voicing what many feel and for calling for respect for the Cuban people. There were also critical messages defending socialism and questioning his stance.
This is not the first time that Reyes has made such reflections. In recent weeks, he has called to “overcome fear and continue demanding our rights”, stated that “change is already among us”, warned that “a dictatorship does not love its children, it uses them for its purposes”, and asserted that “This people has long since ceased to identify with the ‘Revolution’”, in texts where he emphasizes dignity, freedom, and the responsibility to embrace the future without fear.
On this occasion, the recipient was explicit: the left that, from outside Cuba, continues to defend the system established on the Island. Their request was clear: to acknowledge the failure and stop maintaining an image that—according to their words—does not correspond to the reality that Cubans experience.
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