Bishops warns ‘Cuba is suffering’ as people starve under oil sanctions

A BISHOP in Cuba has warned that people are starving as ongoing sanctions push them to the brink of survival.

An oil blockade by the US government implemented in January has strangled energy supplies, leading to strict rationing which is having dire consequences on the poorest in society.

Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Arturo González Amador, president of the Cuban Bishops’ Conference, said: “Cuba is suffering. This is the saddest and most difficult time that I am aware of in the history of my people. 

“Everything is a struggle to survive. The present is unsafe and the future is completely unknown.” 

Bishop González added that those working in his diocese witness despair every day – as families lack hard-to-obtain necessities including food, hygiene products, uncontaminated water and cooking fuel.

He said: “Every day that passes we feel that it is more difficult to live, especially for the poor, the elderly who live alone, pensioners and single mothers. 

“There are people who come to us and tell us that they haven’t eaten for days, and they don’t know who to go to for help. 

“The food can’t be preserved because of lack of electricity, and we have seen people collapsing during celebrations, recently, because they have not eaten.” 

According to the bishop, “in some important hospitals they have stopped doing operations because they don’t have water, let alone surgical equipment”.

He said people were turning to family or friends abroad to obtain medical aid to do basic operations themselves “and that includes the suture thread”.

Bishop González said there was also dread regarding possible military action by the USA, adding: “In conversations with people you notice sadness, despair and uncertainty… 

“People’s daily lives are marked by a great fear. They are constantly talking about it, and this is a particular source of anguish for children and for the elderly.

“In the streets we hear people say that they cannot take this pain any longer, and there is nobody to help them.

“Anyone who can leave is doing so. We are being left with a country of elderly people with no resources and small pensions.”

He added: “Although many are leaving the island, the Church remains. The people recognise this and are grateful.” 

Bishop González said the Church was struggling to help and experiencing tremendous limitations as food prices increased. 

Many of the faithful have come up with initiatives helping those who are in dire need. These include soup kitchens and food delivery for those with disabilities or who are bed-ridden. 

The prelate said: “They manage to squeeze food and resources out of nowhere.” 

Bishop González said one soup kitchen, which produces food for over 300 people, was recently forced to improvise. 

He said: “The Sisters said they would use whatever they had left, and so they mixed some tins of black and white beans to be able to serve more dishes. The people notice this, and they see that the Church is sharing what it has... 

“This only shows what God’s providence and Christian charity can achieve.

He added: “The day a religious Sister or a priest dies of hunger or from lack of medication, you will know there is nobody left alive, because everybody shares what little they have. 

“It is beautiful to see that this aid, this charity, is carried out without any manipulation, simply because people want to help. And we can also see the gratitude of those who are on the receiving end.”

He asked that ACN’s friends and benefactors not forget Cuba.

He said: “We cannot solve everything, but any help counts. The people of Cuba are suffering, and the Church is a part of that people.” 

Thanks to Maria Lozano