Pope Leo XIV echoes Cuban bishops’ warning that fuel blockade could cause “chaos and social violence”
“Cuba needs reforms, and these are increasingly urgent, but what it does not need is more anguish and pain. No more loss of life or mourning within Cuban families,” say the island’s bishops.
During the recitation of the Angelus, on Sunday 1 February, Pope Leo said he has been following “the troubling news regarding an increase in tensions between Cuba and the United States of America”. Leo XIV referred to the message published by the Cuban bishops following the announcement of a fuel blockade on the island, which asks for dialogue between the two states and warns of the “real danger” that this measure could lead to “social chaos and violence”.
“I echo the message of the Cuban bishops, inviting all responsible parties to promote a sincere and effective dialogue, in order to avoid violence and every action that could increase the suffering of the dear Cuban people,” the Pope said, speaking to several thousand pilgrims.
In this context, Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) calls on its benefactors, friends and project partners all over the world to unite in prayer with the Pope and the Cuban bishops during this crisis. As Pope Leo XIV pleaded from the Vatican, “may the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre assist and protect all of the children of that beloved land!”
The Pope’s words come at a delicate moment. Relations between the USA and Cuba have become tense following Donald Trump’s order, on 29 January 2026, to sanction countries that provide Cuba with oil.
The bishops’ statement was read out this past weekend in all the Masses celebrated on the island. “Recent news that, among others, rules out the provision of oil to the country has caused alarm, especially among the less fortunate,” says the message. The bishops make no qualms in warning of “the real risk of social chaos and violence” between Cuban people, adding that “no Cuban of goodwill would rejoice in this”.
The bishops recognise that “Cuba needs reforms, and these are increasingly urgent, but what it does not need is more anguish and pain. No more loss of life or mourning within Cuban families. We have had enough of this in our recent history!” adding that “we want and hope for a new, prosperous and happy Cuba, but not at the expense of the suffering of the country’s poor, of the elderly, of the sick and of the children.” In their message, the Cuban bishops quote John Paul II’s parting message from Cuba on 25 January 1998, “which is still surprisingly current” and in which he denounced as “ethically unjust and unacceptable” all “oppressive economic measures (…) imposed from outside the country”, describing them as a source of “material and moral poverty”.
The prelates express their hope that “governments should be able to solve their disagreements and conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, rather than coercion or war”.
The message is directed to “all Cubans of good will” and recalls the invitation made during the Jubilee of Hope, on 15 June 2025, “to all, but especially to those who have higher responsibilities when it comes to making decisions for the good of the nation,” in which the bishops said it was “time to create a climate free from internal or external pressure or conditions, under which the structural, social, economic and political changes that Cuba requires can be carried out.”
The bishops outline a model of national coexistence, asking that “the good of Cuba be placed above personal interests” and that “Cuba may open itself to its own people, to all Cubans, without exclusions or strategies that seek to benefit only a few.” They state that “the respect for personal dignity and freedom cannot be subject to, or conditioned by, the variables of external conflicts,” and highlight “the significant contributions of a healthy environment of plurality and mutual respect to international détente and fruitful exchange”.
Finally, the bishops say that the Church is available “if requested, to contribute to lower the levels of hostility between the parties and create spaces for productive cooperation for the common good”.
ACN has reiterated its historically close relationship with Cuba, which has been upheld for decades by pastoral, training and emergency assistance projects which allow the Church to continue to accompany the Cuban people, despite the crippling economic and social difficulties. The foundation highlights the fact that its support is aimed at ensuring that the Church can continue to console, mediate and serve the most vulnerable, especially the elderly, the sick and poor families.
During an aid campaign in September 2024, the former president of the Cuban Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Emilio Aranguren of Holguín, publicly thanked the charity for its firm commitment to the country, saying that “ACN has been a faithful supporter of the Church in Cuba, not only in material terms, but also through its closeness, prayer and hope in the hardest of times.” In the face of this most recent crisis, the charity renews this commitment, uniting itself to the appeals of Pope Leo and of the Cuban bishops, in the hope that dialogue, peace and the good of the people remain paramount.
