2024-03-27 22:47:46
The tension between faith and politics has intensified in Cuba, where the Cuban regime has suspended several Holy Week events, generating strong criticism from religious leaders and activists.
This occurs due to fear of the communist regime, after the protests that broke out on the island on March 17, which began in the province of Santiago de Cuba and spread throughout the territory.
“We are very upset by that decision, faith has nothing to do with politics and should not be mixed,” said a Cuban priest.
The alarm about these suspensions of the processions was raised last week, when a note published in Aciprensa, a Catholic media outlet, reported on the cancellation of various events on the Island.
According to Osvaldo Gallardo, a writer and religious activist who has lived more than four decades in Cuba, these measures are due to the regime’s fear of concentrations of people in the midst of the protests that have occurred these days.
Gallardo pointed out that not only religious people participate in such concentrations, but also individuals without religious beliefs. “A procession can, under the enthusiasm and devotion of Holy Week, create a breeding ground for another political demonstration to suddenly break out,” the writer warned.
Despite the prohibitions, the Parish of El Vedado defied the restrictions and began Holy Week with a celebration on Palm Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Santiago de Cuba, Archbishop Dionisio García Ibáñez gave an energetic speech before the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, defending the rights of the Cuban people.
These actions highlight the growing tension between church and regime in Cuba, where religion and politics often collide. While the faithful fight to exercise their religious freedom, the authorities intend to take away their freedom for fear of protests.
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