The Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), a Cuban opposition organization founded in 1988, thanked the G7 this Friday for paying attention to Cuba’s crisis, but urged it to “move from declarations to actions.” It did so in a statement dated November 13 signed, among others, by Tony Díaz, Minervo Chil, Osmel Rodríguez, Carlos Payá and Regis Iglesias, in which it calls for pressure on the Havana regime to open “the path toward a true democratic transition.”
The text responds to the joint declaration issued by the G7 foreign ministers on November 11, following their Paris meeting on the 9th and 10th. In it, they expressed concern over the deep economic crisis and the humanitarian needs of the Cuban people, with shortages of food, fuel and medicines, and encouraged a “constructive and inclusive” dialogue to find a solution.
A “firm, sustained and peaceful” pressure
The signatories maintain that the G7’s position “must not be limited to a mere declaration of concern or good intentions” and that “the suffering of the Cuban people demands much more than words of solidarity.” They ask the group to lead, together with other democratic nations, a firm, sustained and peaceful international pressure so that the regime respects fundamental freedoms.
The MCL also supports the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid, provided it is distributed independently and without control by the Cuban government. It considers that the root cause of the crisis is the regime’s political intolerance, and calls for coordinated action in international bodies to isolate the power politically and diplomatically, not the Cuban people.
What the G7 demands from Havana
The ministers’ declaration calls on Cuban authorities for significant political and economic reforms, progress toward a multiparty democratic government, freedom of the press, expression and association, and the release of those arbitrarily detained. It also requests improvements in the mechanisms for delivering humanitarian aid so that it reaches the entire country.
The Christian Liberation Movement, promoter of the Varela Project, has for years advocated a peaceful transition to democracy on the island. In March, its spokesperson Regis Iglesias proposed to the U.S. Department of State an immediate amnesty and the release of all political prisoners, as well as a review of the constitutional status of the Communist Party.
The Cuban Church, at a time of change
The request comes just days after León XIV appointed Juan Gabriel Díaz Ruiz as archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, previously bishop of Matanzas. For his part, Cardinal Pietro Parolin stated in March that the Holy See had taken “the necessary steps” to promote a negotiated solution for the island.