Search results for: Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba

Bishop Emeritus of Matanzas, Manuel de Céspedes, Descendant of Two Cuban Presidents, Dies at 81

He was involved in many Church initiatives, such as the Center for Civic and Religious Formation and the magazine ’Vitral’ 14ymedio, Havana, 27 March 2025 — The Bishop Emeritus of Matanzas, Monsignor Manuel Hilario de Céspedes y García-Menocal, died Wednesday night at the age of 81. Manolo, as he was known within the Catholic Church, … Continue reading “Bishop Emeritus of Matanzas, Manuel de Céspedes, Descendant of Two Cuban Presidents, Dies at 81”

Cuban Faces 2024: Priest Leandro Naun, Chef and ‘War Correspondent’ in Santiago de Cuba

Naun’s style is not that of other priests like Alberto Reyes or Lester Zayas, who are much more direct when it comes to criticizing the regime. 14ymedio, Havana, 27 December 2024 — The Catholic priest Leandro Naun made headlines in the independent press abruptly. Three masked men had entered his parents’ house in Santiago de … Continue reading “Cuban Faces 2024: Priest Leandro Naun, Chef and ‘War Correspondent’ in Santiago de Cuba”

Faced With the Terrible Crisis That the Country Is Suffering, Cuban Bishops Choose Silence

The Catholic hierarchy has lost the moral authority it had before the Revolution and in the years that followed. 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 21 December 2024 — The Christmas message published this Thursday by the Cuban Episcopal Conference gives an indication of how much the tone has been lowered when it comes to questioning the … Continue reading “Faced With the Terrible Crisis That the Country Is Suffering, Cuban Bishops Choose Silence”

Arturo González, a Bishop Whom Díaz-Canel ‘Admires’, Is the New President of the Episcopal Conference

The Santa Clara prelate, a skilled diplomat, is a regular interlocutor of Pope Francis and high Vatican officials 14ymedio, Havana, November 8, 2024 — The Cuban Catholic hierarchy was reorganized this Thursday with the election of a new president for the Episcopal Conference. This is Arturo González, bishop of Santa Clara, who is accompanied by … Continue reading “Arturo González, a Bishop Whom Díaz-Canel ‘Admires’, Is the New President of the Episcopal Conference”

‘Che’ and Fidel, Two of the Poor People Who Attend the Food Kitchen of the Catholic Church in Santa Clara

Dozens of people come to the old garage opposite the cathedral every Sunday, to be given food 14ymedio, Santa Clara, 19 September 2024 – For five months, a garage opposite the Santa Clara cathedral has filled up with people in need of food. In two rooms inside the old ’storage’ – the name [in English] … Continue reading “‘Che’ and Fidel, Two of the Poor People Who Attend the Food Kitchen of the Catholic Church in Santa Clara”

The Children Are Baptized and One Week Later They Leave, Complains the Catholic Church in Cuba

The anointing of the sick is the only sacrament that is increasing, another reflection of the demographic situation on the island 14ymedio, Havana, July 24, 2024 — The Catholic priest Ariel Suárez, secretary of the Cuban Episcopal Conference – and, in practice, its spokesman – said during an interview in Spain that in a parish … Continue reading “The Children Are Baptized and One Week Later They Leave, Complains the Catholic Church in Cuba”

Leandro Naun, a Priest in the Mountains of Santiago de Cuba

To many mothers “God seems deaf” because they don’t see a way out and they become desperate 14ymedio, Havana, 16 June 2024 — Leandro Naun, a Catholic priest, ministers to a handful of rural communities in Santiago de Cuba. With the end of the month fast approaching, word is spreading that delivery of the basic … Continue reading “Leandro Naun, a Priest in the Mountains of Santiago de Cuba”

The Bishop of Camagüey in Cuba Prohibits Ringing the Bells During Blackouts

This decision is attributed to the pressure on the Church from the Communist Party of Cuba to undermine the initiative of the priest of Esmeralda, Alberto Reyes. 14ymedio, Havana, 19 May 2024 — The bishop of Camagüey Wilfredo Willy Pino Estévez prohibited Father Alberto Reyes from continuing to ring the bells of the Esmeralda parish … Continue reading “The Bishop of Camagüey in Cuba Prohibits Ringing the Bells During Blackouts”

A Way of the Cross Marked by Emigration and Tensions with the Communist Party of Cuba

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez / Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 30 March 2024 — The most significant station of the Way of the Cross held in Old Havana this Friday, when dozens of Catholics took to the streets under the tense gaze of the Police, occurred on the block of the municipal committee of the Communist Party. … Continue reading “A Way of the Cross Marked by Emigration and Tensions with the Communist Party of Cuba”

Cuba’s Communist Party Forbids Holy Week Processions

14ymedio, 26 March 2024 Havana — Several churches will see their Holy Week celebrations scaled back because the Cuban Communist Party is not issuing permits for street processions. Sources within the Catholic Church have informed 14ymedio that celebrations in at least two parishes in Villa Clara province have been suspended, while other members of the … Continue reading “Cuba’s Communist Party Forbids Holy Week Processions”

Cuban Communist Party Blocks Religious Procession Honoring Cuba’s Patron Saint

14ymedio, Havana, 1 September 2023 — On Thursday, Catholic priest Alberto Reyes accused the Communist Party of Esmeralda, a town in Camaguey province, of preventing a procession honoring the Virgin of Charity from taking place on the night of September 8. Without explanation, officials said the event must instead take place at 6:00 PM. “Under … Continue reading “Cuban Communist Party Blocks Religious Procession Honoring Cuba’s Patron Saint”

‘I Do Not Rule Out an Uprising Against the Cuban Regime, But There Are Many Factors Against It’

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Madrid, 22 April 2023 – On a visit to Madrid, a Catholic priest from Camagüey, Alberto Reyes, talks about Cuba as an island out of time. “There’s no present and no future there”, he says, “only the lethargy of continuity”. The most obvious symptom: the ‘re-election’ of Miguel Díaz-Canel, a decisive bet … Continue reading “‘I Do Not Rule Out an Uprising Against the Cuban Regime, But There Are Many Factors Against It’”

The Message of the Cuban Bishops Avoids Alluding to the Negotiation on Political Prisoners

14ymedio, Madrid, 28 April 2023 — The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC) issued an official statement this Friday about the meeting they held two days ago with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other senior officials of the country. In it, they did not allude to something that Ariel Suárez, secretary of the Episcopal Conference, … Continue reading “The Message of the Cuban Bishops Avoids Alluding to the Negotiation on Political Prisoners”

A Desperate Cuban Regime Hopes to Soften Up the U.S. through Vatican Mediation

14ymedio, Havana, 8 March 2023 — The Cubans detained after the 11 July 2021 (11J) protests are Havana’s only bargaining chip in its gambit to improve relations with Washington. Facing a severe and widespred economic crisis, the government is hoping for a diplomatic thaw that has yet to begin. Allowing the detainees to resettle in … Continue reading “A Desperate Cuban Regime Hopes to Soften Up the U.S. through Vatican Mediation”

Cuban Opposition Platform D Frente Thanks Cardinal Stella for Asking for ‘Clemency’ for Cuba’s Political Prisoners

14ymedio, Havana, 11 February 2023 — The opposition platform D Frente [D Front] thanked Pope Francis this Friday for Vatican Special Envoy Cardinal Beniamino Stella’s asking the Cuban government for “an amnesty or some form of clemency” for Cuba’s political prisoners. Stella, whose visit to the island starting on January 23, followed a strategy of … Continue reading “Cuban Opposition Platform D Frente Thanks Cardinal Stella for Asking for ‘Clemency’ for Cuba’s Political Prisoners”