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The Cuban priest Alberto Reyes Pías, pastor of the church in Esmeralda, Camagüey, published this Friday on Facebook the 165th installment of his column "I Have Been Thinking," in which he describes Cuba as a country in a state of permanent war against its own people.
"Cuba is a country at war. There are no bullets, no explosions, no bombs, but every day, at any hour, at any moment, you are shot at, you are assaulted, you are attacked… with the power outages, or the delays in service, with the medicines you can’t find, with the oppressive isolation, with what runs out or breaks and you can’t replace, with the prices you can’t afford, with the heat you can’t escape, with mornings without breakfast and nights without rest…" wrote the priest.
The reflection comes at one of the most critical moments in the recent history of the Island. On July 6, Cuba experienced its third total blackout of the year — the seventh in 18 months — leaving millions of people without electricity, and on July 8, the electricity generation deficit reached a historic record of 2,341 MW, with an average of 15 hours daily without power in Havana and up to 87 consecutive hours in Matanzas.
Father Reyes accurately describes this accumulated exhaustion: "The day is made up of blows that you endure, bear, dodge, but that gradually break your soul, pierce your spirit, and leave you exhausted."
And warns about the invisible damage that constant pressure causes: "And sometimes, the struggle is so intense that you don't even notice it; the wear and tear is so great that you don't realize you're breaking, because the soul has no bones, and you can't see it when it breaks."
The crisis depicted by the priest goes far beyond power outages: only 30% of the essential medication supply is available, 89% of the population lives in extreme poverty, 97% do not have regular access to basic food items, and about 96,000 surgeries have been postponed in 2026, including 11,000 for children. However, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez dismissed in July the idea that Cuba is experiencing a humanitarian crisis.
In light of this situation, the priest calls for an active care of the soul as a form of resistance: “It is time to embrace faith and seek God, to learn to pray, to cross the thresholds of churches, and to reestablish Christ the Savior in our homes.”
Reyes also calls for strengthening closer human connections through what he calls "making a pack": those moments when "you simply give the gift of being there for the other," and teaching children "the beauty of choosing honesty over lies, respect over theft and violence, solidarity over selfishness, diversity over uniformity, and thinking over indoctrination."
The priest also issues a clear warning against complicity with the regime: "It is time to stop wasting time on lies and slogans, on insincere applause, on contemptible acts that promote our slavery. It is time to live in the truth, even if it hurts, even if it costs."
Father Reyes has been publishing his weekly column since 2020, in which he has systematically denounced the repression and crisis facing Cuba. The State Security summoned him in January 2026, along with priest Castor José Álvarez Devesa, to deliver warning notices under the threat of judicial prosecution. The regime accuses him of being a "promoter of hate," and last June, the troubadour Raúl Torres, who is aligned with the regime, publicly attacked him.
Despite the pressures, the priest maintains his voice and concludes his reflection number 165 with the same image with which he opened: "Take care in the midst of this war, take care and nurture the soul, because don’t forget: the soul has no bones, and you don’t see it when it breaks."
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