The Cuban Catholic priest Alberto Reyes Pías published the 175th installment of his weekly column on Facebook this Saturday, titled "I Have Been Thinking About a Message of Hope," in which he openly acknowledges the seriousness of the Cuban crisis and urges his compatriots not to lose hope.
The parish priest of Esmeralda, in Camagüey, does not soften his diagnosis: "It is no secret that Cuba is plunged into a systemic crisis, a crisis that worsens by the day, while the Government seems only concerned with repression."
Reyes goes further and points out why the regime does not seek solutions: "No one in power seems to have the slightest interest in finding a solution, perhaps because, given the extent of the deterioration on the island, any improvement implies empowering the population and accepting a loss of power. And for them, a loss of power is unacceptable."
For the priest, however, the most serious issue is not the scarcity or repression, but the collective mood: "The worst part of this moment is that we have lost hope again. Days go by without us seeing a light on the horizon, and the expectations we had a few months ago have been fading away."
Despite this, he urges not to lose hope because, he asserts, "no evil is eternal, and the oppression over our land will not last either."
In the face of widespread discouragement, reflect on the value of solidarity action: "Look for someone in need and assist them, share what you can, call someone who is alone, help a family with food or medicine, listen, console, encourage." And he adds: "Don’t wait to be able to change everything; start by helping one person."
Reyes also appeals to faith as support in the face of adversity: "Keep remembering over and over the voice of the God who continually tells you: I am with you, which doesn’t mean there won’t be difficulties, but rather that you won’t have to go through them alone."
It warns that giving up before the change arrives would leave people without the strength to seize that moment: "If you surrender along the way, when that situation ends, you will no longer have the strength or hope to embrace the light."
And it conveys a statement of collective identity: "Cuba is not just its problems. Cuba is also its children, its ability to love, to share, to rise up, to reinvent itself."
Finally, Father Reyes concludes with a message of optimism: "Cuba, despite its chains, will move forward if we do not stop believing in the dawn and if, in the midst of the night, we continue to reach out our hands to one another and do good."
The post comes just hours after another total disconnection of the National Electric System, following several failures in different sections of the power grid.
Throughout the year, his reflections have described Cuba as a "country at war," have laid bare the fear as the support of the regime and have explained how the regime ensures that capable individuals participate in the repression without questioning whether what they do is right or wrong.
Reyes does not write from a place of comfort: the Government has pressured him directly. In January, the State Security summoned him along with the priest Castor José Álvarez Devesa and issued a warning notice for his public criticisms. After that incident, he stated: "The summons was not a dialogue, it was intimidation."
In July, the authoritiesprevented him from traveling to Miami.
Despite everything, he/she has continued to publish every week without interruptions.
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