Several Cuban religious leaders discussed the role of the church in the protests, Christian Liberation Movement appealed on Tuesday with request for condemnation of the Communist regime.


The most mature opposition group Christian Liberation Movement, in a statement, appealed to the Western world to condemn Havana's regime unprecedented wave of intimidation and terror against the opposition.

We believe that the international community should strongly condemn the ruthless repression unleashed by the dictatorship of General Raúl Castro and the Communist Party of Cuba, currently headed by Miguel Díaz-Canel, against citizens who have only exercised their legitimate right to protest, the author of the CLM statement said.

Christian Liberation Movement leaders compared current policies of the Cuban Communist Party to the South African Apartheid.

The Cuban communist totalitarian regime is as a segregationist, violent and exclusionary as the South African apartheid regime, the CLM leaders stated calling for economic and political sanctions against the Havana regime.


"Church accompanies in the process of reconciliation"

During a virtual conference, the leaders discussed the repression wave that violated all human rights.

Cuban priest Alberto Reyes Pías, from the Archdiocese of Camagüey and member of the Archipiélago civic platform, said that "the Church has promoted the values ​​that lead to the establishment of a just and democratic society."

The church has been a leader in preaching everything that leads to the reconstruction of a twinned civil society Fr. Reyes Pías stated. It has accompanied in processes of forgiveness and reconciliation and has always maintained an availability for dialogue and mutual understanding, he stressed.

At all levels, from interpersonal and family to dialogue with government agencies. In fact, today there are many people who see the Church as the ideal interlocutor for a process of dialogue aimed at a transition, stated the priest.


"Churches must become become public spaces for discussion"

The Cuban journalist and former prisoner of conscience, Roberto Jesús Quiñones Haces, stated that churches must become public spaces for discussion and analysis of reality for all Cubans.

It is very important that the Church favors Christian movements of prayer at this time, but also of the claim, that from our faith these movements are capable of presenting their demands to the Government, he stated. We must never think that they are doing something illegal because the only thing they are doing is reaffirming their human dignity, said Mr. Quiñones Haces.

The leaders stressed that the believers have been actively involved in the protest and opposition movement in Cuba.

The nonprofit organization faith-based Outreach Aid to the Americas organised the venue.