Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba: "When someone abuses power, who can hold it against them?"

The Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Monsignor Dionisio García Ibáñez, delivered a homily this Sunday at the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, in which he posed a rhetorical question with evident political resonance: “When someone does things they shouldn't or abuses power, who can throw it in their face? Who? Who?”

García Ibáñez explained that, according to biblical readings, the power of God is manifested in His mercy and His ability to forgive. From that reflection, he urged the faithful to act with humanity and to forgive others.

The question of abuse of power arose when contrasting God's absolute authority with the difficulty of questioning those who act improperly from positions of power here on earth: "If sometimes we cannot hold accountable even those who live here on earth," the prelate stated.

García Ibáñez, over 80 years old and leading the archdiocese since 2007, ended his homily this Sunday with a call to humanity and mutual forgiveness: "Let us be human, and let us learn to forgive as we wish God to forgive us."

The homily this Sunday is the latest link in a progressive escalation of critical statements from the archbishop made from that very venue throughout 2026.

In May, for instance, García Ibáñez stated that "Cuba needs to change" and that "measures must be taken to change the situation in the country." That same month, he urged leaders not to consider themselves "owners of the world".

A month later, he noted that "there are people who place their trust in power, and they cause a lot of harm when, because of power, they believe they have the right to do anything."

And recently, he acknowledged the burden of the Cuban people with a straightforward statement: «There are so many people asking for help. And the help is not enough».

The statements from the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba come in a context where tensions between the Catholic Church and the Cuban regime continue.

In January, for example, State Security summoned and threatened critical priests such as Alberto Reyes Pías and Castor José Álvarez Devesa for their public statements.

That same month, the Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops issued its most direct collective statement, warning that "Cuba needs changes and they are increasingly urgent" to avoid social chaos.