A Call to Stand with the People of Cuba: Faithful Solidarity in a Time of Crisis

 

As communities of faith, we write out of deep concern for the people of Cuba and out of a shared commitment to peace, compassion, and the protection of human life. We are alarmed by the growing danger of escalation and by clear signals that regime change is being pursued as a goal of U.S. policy toward Cuba. In this moment, we reject any approach that treats human suffering as leverage or seeks to impose political outcomes through coercion.

 

The U.S. embargo and related restrictions have long contributed to hardship in Cuba by limiting access to resources and constraining the economic conditions that make daily life possible. While Cuba also faces serious internal challenges, including mismanagement and shortages driven by multiple factors, no policy should deepen deprivation or treat human suffering as leverage. We hold in our hearts the many layers of hardship the Cuban people are carrying. We know that some of these burdens arise from long‑standing difficulties within the island itself - patterns of governance and policies that have, over time, made daily life more fragile for many families. In all circumstances, our deepest concern is that no action, whether at home or abroad, should add to the suffering of those already facing so much.

 

In recent weeks, the cutoff of Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and renewed threats of coercion and regime change have raised the risk of dangerous escalation. In this moment, communities of faith speak clearly: Cuba’s political future must be determined by Cubans themselves, free from external coercion, threats, or interference. Human suffering must never be used as a tool of pressure.

 

Communities of faith in the United States have been in relationship with Cuban faith communities through prayer, partnership, and accompaniment for over a hundred and fifty years. We have listened to Cuban partners as they describe the realities facing their people and the burdens carried most heavily by the vulnerable. We write with urgency about the suffering of the Cuban people, and to call for policies rooted in humanitarian concern, peace, and respect for human dignity.

 

Across Cuba, many are struggling to meet basic needs: reliable access to food, clean water, electricity, transportation, and safe housing. Reduced fuel supplies have immediate consequences, including increased blackouts, inaccessible water, reduced mobility, and disruptions to the systems people depend on to survive.

 

We are especially alarmed by barriers to health care and life-saving medicines. When essential medications cannot be obtained and clinics and hospitals face shortages of supplies and consistent functioning, treatable illnesses become dangerous. No parent should have to search endlessly for antibiotics. No elderly person should have to ration heart medication. No one should have to fear that an avoidable medical crisis will become a death sentence.

 

We believe it is morally wrong to pursue political goals by deepening hardship for ordinary people. For too many years, U.S. policy toward Cuba has relied on pressure and isolation, harming communities and restricting access to basic necessities. This approach has failed to produce any desired political goals and has exacted a heavy human toll. Human suffering must never be used as a tool of coercion.

 

We oppose threats of intervention, destabilization, or any effort to force political change through coercion. We call instead for diplomacy, sustained engagement, and people-to-people connection that reduce suffering and build the foundations for peace. We also affirm the importance of allowing people in Cuba to express their concerns and longings in peaceful ways. In times of strain, the ability to gather, to speak, and to be heard is part of the God-given dignity that belongs to every person. Our prayer is that such moments of expression be met with understanding hearts and gentle responses. Just as faith communities in the United States work to uphold these same rights in our own context, we stand alongside our sisters and brothers in Cuba, trusting that peaceful voices can help illuminate paths toward healing and renewal.

 

We offer this call in solidarity with our Cuban partners and with all who are working to meet urgent human needs. We honor the ministries and community networks that continue to provide care, accompany families, and sustain hope in the face of extraordinary hardship.

 

A call to action

We urge policymakers and leaders to pursue a course that reduces hardship for ordinary people and expands humanitarian space. We call for steps that:

• reduce barriers that prevent communities from accessing food, medicine, and basic necessities by lifting the embargo and removing US sanctions

• enable faith-based and humanitarian partners to provide assistance without fear, obstruction, or unnecessary delay

• support sustained diplomatic engagement and practical cooperation that serves human life

• reject rhetoric and strategies that rely on escalation, destabilization, or collective punishment

We call on communities of faith across the United States to respond with prayer, public witness, and active solidarity. Speak about the suffering of the Cuban people in your congregations and communities. Share accurate information and resist rhetoric that treats hardship and instability as acceptable tools of policy. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to support a course of engagement that expands humanitarian access and rejects strategies that deepen deprivation in order to force political change.

 

A prayer

Holy God,

Draw near to all who suffer, and strengthen all who serve their neighbors in hardship.

Provide daily bread where there is scarcity, healing where there is sickness, and hope where there is fear. Sustain those who care for the sick and protect those most at risk.

Turn every heart away from hostility and toward the things that make for peace. Give wisdom to those who hold authority, and compassion to all who shape public policy.

Amen.