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The president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, Mons. Marcelo González Amador, reported that people are arriving at the parishes "saying they haven't eaten in days" and that "frequent fainting occurs during celebrations" because "many people have not eaten," according to statements gathered by ACI Prensa.
The bishop of Santa Clara, aged 70, made these statements in an interview with the organization Aid to the Church in Need, in which he described the situation on the island as "the most difficult and saddest moment in the history of my people that I am aware of."
"Cuba hurts," the bishop asserted. "Everything is a struggle for survival. The present is insecure, and the future is completely uncertain."
González Amador explained that food cannot be preserved due to the lack of electricity, a problem that has also brought an end to nighttime worship and increased thefts in streets and homes.
The collapse is not limited to food. The bishop warned that "in some major hospitals, surgeries are not being carried out due to a lack of water" and surgical materials.
"I know of more than one case where a person had to seek all the resources for surgery with the help of family or friends abroad, even the thread for sutures," he noted.
This testimony aligns with the data from the Food Monitor Program, which revealed that 33.9% of Cuban households reported that at least one person went to bed hungry during 2025, and that 94.9% lost access to food purchases that year. Additionally, 79.7% of Cubans attribute the crisis to poor state administration.
The electricity deficit in Cuba has exceeded 2,100 MW several times during May, and on the 16th of that month, 51% of the country was left without electricity simultaneously.
The bishop also described the widespread fear of a potential conflict with the United States. "The fear of war is tremendous; it is part of the daily concerns of many people. There is a constant discourse about it, which creates distress, especially among children and the elderly," he noted.
"In the streets, people are saying: 'We can't take this pain anymore and we have no one to turn to,'" recounted González Amador, who also highlighted the massive exodus: "Those who can emigrate are doing so. The country is increasingly aging, left only with the elderly, without resources and with minimal pensions."
In the face of state abandonment, the Church has taken on a central role in humanitarian assistance. A parish dining hall serves over 300 people; the nuns have even started mixing black and white bean cans to provide more dishes.
The U.S. sent two planes with humanitarian aid to Cuba last Friday, delivering 1,900 food and hygiene kits distributed by Caritas in Santiago de Cuba, as part of the offer of 100 million dollars in humanitarian assistance contingent upon the regime not interfering in its distribution.
Cáritas Cuba is also continuing to distribute aid to those affected by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025 in the dioceses of Holguín-Las Tunas, Bayamo-Manzanillo, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo-Baracoa.
"Although many are leaving the island, the Church remains; the people acknowledge and appreciate this choice," concluded Mons. González Amador, who urged not to forget about Cuba and reminded that "every bit of help matters."
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