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The Cuban Catholic priest Alberto Reyes Pías published this Friday the 162nd installment of his weekly column on Facebook, in which he demands a change of government and political system as an essential condition for Cuba to emerge from its systemic crisis.
"In nearly 70 years, those who have governed us have not only failed to guarantee the basic living conditions of the population, but these conditions have progressively worsened to inhumane levels," wrote the parish priest of Esmeralda, in Camagüey.
The text, titled "I Have Been Thinking About the Options We Have Left II," is the second part of a series that began on June 12, 2026, in which the priest analyzes what paths are available to the Cuban people in light of the accelerated decline in their living conditions.
Reyes dismisses the possibility that the current regime can reverse the situation, posing a direct question: "After all this time, what could lead us to believe that the same government, the same party, and the same political system will be able to pull the country out of this widespread crisis?"
The priest also dismantles the official argument that the embargo is the main cause of the crisis. "Victimhood in the face of the embargo may unite international support for Cuba, but it does not put food on Cuban tables," he points out, adding that if the regime has not been able to manage the effects of the embargo for decades, "it is logical that they make way for others who might actually be capable of doing so."
For Reyes, talking about "dialogue" only makes sense if it involves concrete answers regarding how and when a transition will take place that includes the exit of the current rulers and the calling of free and plural elections.
The priest criticizes that the regime "maintains a circular discourse asking for trust in the Revolution, threatening anyone who voices opposition to the official narrative, and adopting a victimhood stance in the face of the blockade," while political plurality remains prohibited, political prisoners are denied, and harassment of peaceful protesters continues unabated.
In response to those who call for patience or understanding, Reyes is unequivocal: "The lack of electricity, water, medicine, food, fuel, and money in the banks... is not something this people should have to 'understand'; it is something the government MUST resolve."
The priest lists what he considers are not valid options for Cubans: silence, enduring indefinitely, inventing a life, suffering without protest or applause at public events to appease those in power.
This reflection comes in a context of severe humanitarian deterioration. The UN that over 100,000 patients, including more than 11,000 children, were awaiting surgeries delayed due to power outages and the lack of medical supplies on the island.
Father Reyes has intensified the tone of his criticisms throughout 2026. In May, he acknowledged that many Cubans would accept "a horrifying end" rather than continue living under the dictatorship, and in January, State Security summoned him without reason along with priest Castor Álvarez in Camagüey.
"I see no other option but to tell the truth, everywhere: in families, in schools, in workplaces, in churches, in social networks… but also in the streets, in every street, peacefully but firmly," concludes the priest, describing a people who "have been fed up and exhausted for a long time."
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