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The Board of Directors of the Alliance of Christians in Cuba (ACC) issued a public statement this Thursday titled "On Hunger, Poverty, and Need", in which it urged the Cuban leaders to heed the call of the majority of the people to "step aside and allow for a peaceful transition to democracy and freedom in our nation."
In its statement, signed on behalf of more than 70 registered religious leaders across the country and Christian communities with thousands of congregants, the ACC proclaimed its "position regarding the current reality faced in the country, amidst the context of hunger, misery, and helplessness that each ordinary Cuban encounters."
The statement, circulated on social media by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), condemned the repressive actions against pastors and their families, and urged the Cuban authorities to allow for a peaceful transition to democracy on the island.
"We ask the rulers to end the oppression and imprisonment of Cubans and believers who raise their voices for their rights," he stated, while demanding "the immediate release of all those unjustly detained and imprisoned" and condemned "the repressive acts against our servants, pastors, and their families."
The ACC expressed its full support for the new generations who are voicing their opinions on social media and other platforms, acknowledging their courage and committing to "stand by them in their struggle for a better future." It also extended its support to families who have loved ones unjustly detained and imprisoned.
It also urged religious leaders to exercise their right to influence the political life of the country. The document is unequivocal in its ideological stance: "There is no communion between light and darkness, just as there is no communion between faith in Christ and communism."
"We firmly believe that every Cuban citizen, whether a believer or a non-believer, has the right to dissent and protest, raising their voice against a regime that oppresses both publicly and privately," he warned. "As a Church and religious entity in Cuba, we not only have the right but also the duty to speak out in favor of justice and truth, publicly condemning the injustice and oppression that our parishioners and all human beings endure."
"We call on the authorities of Cuba to listen to the voice of the majority of Cuban citizens, who peacefully ask them to step aside and allow for a peaceful transition to democracy and freedom in our nation," concludes the statement from the Board of Directors of the ACC.
The statement comes at a time of documented and increasing religious repression. The ACC itself registered 996 repressive actions against religious leaders during 2024, while the OCDH reported at least 873 violations of religious freedom just in 2025.
In February 2026, despite the selective release of 51 prisoners following the regime's dialogue with the Vatican, the OCDH recorded 231 new repressive actions.
Among the most recent cases is the arrest of Pastor Rolando Pérez Lora, who was detained on March 15 in Matanzas by the political police following a live broadcast on YouTube with biblical messages. Pastors Luis Guillermo Borjas and Roxana Rojas from Isla de la Juventud are facing a prosecutor's request for eight years in prison for intervening in the legal process of their son, who has been accused of avoiding Mandatory Military Service.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) ranked Cuba in 2026 in the most severe category: a country with "serious and ongoing" violations of religious freedom. More than 80% of evangelical congregations lack legal status, as the regime only legally recognizes those registered before 1962.
The statement from the ACC adds to a series of religious pronouncements made this month. On March 11, the open letter "The Decisive Hour for Cuba", spearheaded by Baptist pastor Joanna Columbié, was released. The letter demands a democratic transition and denounces that "the institutional silence of the Church is unjustifiable."
For its part, the Baptist Convention of Western Cuba took a more cautious stance and asked its churches not to use their facilities for political activism.
This Thursday, the U.S. mission chief in Havana, Mike Hammer, met with the Alliance of Evangelical Churches of Cuba —which encompasses nearly one million evangelicals— and described the meeting as "very fruitful."
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