Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba: The people need to "live with decency" and "with dignity"

The archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Monsignor Dionisio García Ibáñez, affirmed this Sunday that Cubans need to "live with decency" and "with dignity", referring from the altar to the "such dramatic situations" the country is facing and to the uncertainty about the future.

During the homily delivered at the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in El Cobre, for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the prelate connected the biblical readings with the challenges currently faced by Cubans.

"How can we, brothers, be confused in situations as dramatic as the ones we are experiencing, and many times, many times we do not see the future, we do not see it, it is not perceived," expressed García Ibáñez while commenting on the passage from the prophet Elijah.

It was then that he defended the need for basic conditions for a dignified life: "We need to live with decency, live with what is necessary, but what everyone needs to live with dignity, both materially and spiritually."

At another point in his reflection, when discussing the need to listen to the "whisper of God," the archbishop contrasted it with the noise of grand speeches: "Not the boasting, not the raised voice, not the empty promises," he said, before emphasizing the importance of paying attention to what the Word of God may say to each individual.

The words from this Sunday add to a series of increasingly critical statements that García Ibáñez has made throughout 2026.

In May, for example, he stated that "Cuba has to change" and called for "measures that change the situation of the country."

A month later, he warned about those who “believe they have the right to do anything for power” and stated that such behaviors cause harm.

In July, he returned to the crisis by acknowledging the "overwhelm" of a people where "so many are asking for help" and "the help is not enough".

In another speech given that same month, the archbishop lamented the exodus of young people from Cuba, questioned who will cultivate the fields, and described a people forced to live "day by day" regarding basic necessities such as food, water, and money.

The statements from the archbishop align with a broader stance of the Catholic hierarchy regarding the national crisis.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Cuba called for increasingly urgent changes and spaces for dialogue at the beginning of 2026 in response to the worsening economic and social situation and the growing despair among Cubans.