The Calasanz community in Havana publicly reported on Friday the theft of the solar lamps they had installed in their parish, which had been purchased with donations and collective effort to keep the religious and educational space illuminated and safe.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the congregation described the incident as the latest episode in a series of "ongoing thefts" affecting the community and warned: "We will not normalize this situation. We will not remain silent or resign ourselves."
The Parish of San Judas Tadeo and San Nicolás de Bari, located at 830 San Nicolás Street, in the Los Sitios neighborhood of Centro Habana, has been suffering from successive material assaults for months.
"We know that we are going through difficult times, but that cannot become a tacit permission to undermine what belongs to everyone and is for everyone. Each theft is not just a material loss: it is a blow to hope, to community work, and to the respect that a place dedicated to service and education deserves," stated the congregation in their announcement.
The theft of the lamps is not an isolated incident. So far in 2026, the parish has suffered at least four fires caused by burning garbage accumulated in front of the temple, which first destroyed the main door and then the side door.
The repeated complaints to the Communist Party of Cuba and the Government of Centro Habana have not received an effective response. The Escolapios themselves summarized it in a previous statement: "They have listened to us. They have made plans. They have promised. But the actions have not materialized."
This situation is not exclusive to this parish. A citizen who commented on the post pointed out that the Medalla Milagrosa parish in Santos Suárez also suffered the theft of solar lamps of the same type.
Citizen reactions to the complaint reflect a mix of indignation and resignation. "There is no respect even for the house of God," wrote one user.
Another pointed directly to the political context: "That is the government, they don't care; but if a banner appears there, they immediately take action. The police are not for that, the police are for those who protest for a better life."
Several comments linked the incident to widespread social deterioration. "This is evidence of the social failure of the Cuban regime," wrote one citizen, who added that in their own neighborhood, two lamps of the same type were also stolen and that the perpetrators were young people driven by necessity and a lack of opportunities.
Another user was more direct in their diagnosis: "That's what is called a 'failed state,' and the regime insists on denying it."
The theft of solar equipment has become a national epidemic driven by the electricity crisis, with blackouts exceeding 20 hours a day, turning these devices into highly valuable goods in the informal market.
According to the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory, crime in Cuba increased by 115% in 2025 compared to 2024, with 1,536 documented cases of theft.
Since March 2023, more than 50 thefts and acts of vandalism have been reported in 34 parishes and churches across the island, highlighting that temples have become a recurring target of crime that is growing unchecked in the face of impunity and the institutional collapse of the regime.
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