Leaders from 13 U.S. congregations with partner churches in Cuba are calling for an end to the Trump administration’s efforts to block the island nation from purchasing oil from Mexico and Venezuela.
In a statement released just hours before Cuba’s electric grid went dark Monday, the group described the situation as one of “exceptional urgency.” The statement pointed to Cuba’s decades-long isolation, driven by embargoes and restricted access to information, which the congregations said has been worsened by limits on oil purchases.
“We sound this call as those who have walked with and seen the suffering of our Cuban brothers and sisters,” the statement read. “We are not enemies. We are family. It breaks our hearts to see those dear to us—children, women and men—needlessly suffering from U.S. policies.”
The congregations also cited a recent statement from the Alliance of Baptists urging members to stand with the people of Cuba. That document pointed to barriers to health care and access to lifesaving medications linked to U.S. policy.
“U.S. policy toward Cuba has relied on pressure and isolation, harming communities while failing to achieve its stated political goals,” the Alliance of Baptists statement said. “This approach has exacted a heavy human toll and has not produced meaningful or lasting change.”
The churches are encouraging supporters to contact members of Congress and are calling for broader changes to current U.S. policy toward Cuba.
Amid Monday’s nationwide blackout, President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters about the war in Iran, floated the possibility of “taking Cuba.” When asked to clarify what exactly he meant by the remark, he said, “I can’t tell you that.”
Congregations signing the statement include Baptist Church of the Covenant in Birmingham, Alabama; Circle of Mercy Congregation, Ecclesia Baptist Church and First Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina; First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; First Baptist Church in Sylva, North Carolina; First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.; Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee; Lovely Lane United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Northminster Baptist Church in Monroe, Louisiana; Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia; Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Williamsburg Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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