Father Alberto Reyes has made a heartfelt plea to the leaders of Cuba, urging them to permanently leave the country. Reyes, who serves at the parish of Esmeralda in Camagüey, criticized the government for lacking a national vision, failing to resolve the ongoing crisis, and committing what he describes as genocide against the Cuban people.
Known for his outspoken opposition to the regime, Father Reyes accused the communist leaders of clinging to power and likened Cuba to a directionless ship. He advised them to step down before the people's patience runs out, potentially leading to a violent uprising.
Father Reyes' Message to the Cuban Government
CiberCuba shared the complete text of his message:
"I've been reflecting... (LXXXVI) by Alberto Reyes Pías
I've been contemplating what to say to those who govern my country. Many have asked our leaders to take action to lift Cuba out of its widespread crisis. Although I feel like a voice crying out in the wilderness, I am still a voice, and from this place where it seems no one listens, I want to address those who rule this island today.
I can't predict how my words will be received, but I want to express them calmly. My words are not a call for violence, nor are they an aggressive outburst. They are simply the expression of my deepest, most tranquil feelings, and from that place, I say only this: Please, leave.
The Failures of the Current Regime
You will not resurrect this country; you will not solve the fuel shortages, the failing power plants, or restore a life free from constant blackouts. You will not alleviate the hunger of this people, nor will you make everyday life less of a survival battle. You will not resolve the monetary crisis, nor the inflation, nor the miserable living conditions.
You will never ensure the health of the population or access to necessary medicines. You are unable to prevent the deterioration of chronic patients or the deaths resulting from a lack of basic supplies.
Educational damage in this land cannot be repaired by you. The deterioration of the educational system, the shortage of competent teachers, and in many cases, the absence of teachers altogether is beyond your capability to fix.
Cuba's Exodus and the Call for Change
You cannot halt the rampant emigration of this people; you cannot stop Cuba from being an island in flight, losing its youth, leading to an aging population, and causing family separations with wounds that will never heal. The loneliness of parents and grandparents, the loss of those who could have built a prosperous country here, is something you cannot reverse.
You will never be a symbol of hope, of a desirable future, of the dream that inspires self-sacrifice. And you cannot be, because you no longer have a national project. Anchored to power, you have turned this island into a rudderless ship, where no one knows the destination, where life grows increasingly uncertain, and everything fades and dies.
For these reasons, please, leave. Take whatever you want and depart this country forever. Do it before the situation changes, and you are held accountable for crimes against humanity, for what you have done and are doing is a silent genocide against this people.
Leave before this nation's endurance snaps, and it rises with uncontrolled fury, bringing this system to a fiery and bloody end. Every day without light, water, or food; every day with spoiled children's meals, pervasive scarcity, and shattered dreams of freedom is a call you make to the blindest, most excessive violence.
I beg you, leave. Live wherever you wish and can, so that we too can live."