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On the occasion of the 124th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Cuba, the Santo Tomas Apostol Parish, in Santiago de Cuba, shared a powerful message of freedom this Wednesday, signed by A.P. León, calling on the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre to pray that "this suffering land is not forgotten."
The text, titled "Virgin of Charity, we ask for Cuba's freedom," recalls that the independence fighters of the 19th century placed their hopes in the Mother of God, and that a melody echoed through the insurgent fields: "Virgin of Charity, Patroness of Cubans, with the machete in hand we ask for freedom."
The central paragraph of the message is a direct denunciation of the current state of the nation: "Today, 124 years after the founding of the Republic, Cubans, witnessing the shattered dreams of the mambises and the manipulation of the Apostle's ideals, plead at his feet that this land suffering is not forgotten."
The reference to the "Apostle" points to José Martí, the primary moral and intellectual figure of the Cuban nation, whose image has historically been appropriated by the regime to legitimize its discourse.
The claim that their ideals have been "manipulated" constitutes a direct criticism of the way the Cuban government has utilized that legacy during more than six decades of dictatorship.
The message also recalls that, on the 50th anniversary of the Republic—in 1952—the so-called Virgen Mambisa traveled throughout Cuba: "Cities, hospitals, churches, prisons, all received the blessing of her presence. At each stop, she was gifted with dresses or keys to the city."
The image of the Virgin of Charity was proclaimed the official Patroness of Cuba by Pope Benedict XV on May 10, 1916, at the request of veteran mambises led by Major General Jesús Rabí, on behalf of the Liberation Army.
That historical link between Marian devotion and the struggle for independence is the core message of A.P. León: the very men who fought for Cuba's freedom placed their faith in the Virgin, and today the Church invokes that same symbol to denounce that this dream has been betrayed.
The text was published during a day of intense symbolic activity. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in Miami held a special mass to commemorate the anniversary and pray "for the imminent freedom of the island," calling on everyone to "give thanks to God for our homeland" and to ask for "the restoration of a Cuba with justice, peace, and prosperity."
On the same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a message to the Cuban people in which he offered, on behalf of President Trump, 100 million dollars in food and medicine, with the stipulation that the distribution be carried out directly by the Catholic Church or other trusted charitable organizations, and not by the Cuban government or GAESA.
Rubio asserted that "Cuba is controlled by GAESA" and proposed a "new Cuba" where Cubans can run businesses, criticize the government without fear, and choose their rulers.
Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly reacted to Rubio's message on the same day, amidst a day filled with unusual expectations from the exile community and opposition sectors regarding a potential political change on the island.
A.P. León's message concludes with a plea that encapsulates the feelings of millions of Cubans both on the island and abroad: "Virgin of Charity, pray to your beloved Son for Cuba!!"
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