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US sanctions are harming the Cuban Catholic Church, the island’s hope

July 9, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — While there is growing awareness of the severe humanitarian crisis in Cuba, in large measure brought on by the U.S. fuel blockade, few are paying attention to the damage that decades of sanctions are inflicting on the Catholic Church’s ability to serve the Cuban people.

The United States has pressed economic sanctions on Cuba for over 60 years. Congress strengthened those sanctions through the Helms-Burton Act in 1996, extending penalties to some foreign companies doing business with Cuba. While the Obama administration partially eased sanctions, the Trump administration, particularly in its second term, reimposed sanctions even more stringently, including a prohibition on oil delivery to Cuba.

Those policies have triggered Cuba’s deep economic crisis. Not only has the United States prevented any fuel deliveries to the country — for months now — but it has also imposed such severe penalties on international businesses and aid organizations that Cuba’s entire economy is affected. The latest round of measures imposed on May 1 forced the withdrawal of the international banks through which the country does business, and forced out foreign investors in Cuba’s main…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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Anna Nowak

Sanctions are hitting ordinary people, and the Church in Cuba is losing the ability to help in hospitals and bring medicines. The text shows well how the ban on fuel supplies and the withdrawal of banks paralyzes everything. I wonder if the Vatican is trying to resolve this matter diplomatically.

Claudia Wagner

Yes, the sanctions primarily affect ordinary people and the church, which can no longer properly distribute medicine and relief supplies. In our community we collected packages for Cuban communities last year, but due to the banking problems, almost nothing arrived. Is the Vatican really putting pressure on this?

Тамара Виноградова

Sanctions really hit ordinary people and the church, as Anna and Claudia write. In our hospital, nurses often say that without normal supplies of medicines and fuel, even simple operations become a problem. I wonder, is the Vatican really trying to negotiate, or is everything left in words?

Markéta Veselá

Yes, the sanctions really fall mainly on ordinary people and on the work of the church, as Anna and Claudia write. Here in Brno, two years ago we sent packages of medicines through a charity, and it also got stuck because of the banks. I wonder if our bishop deals with it or if it is dealt with directly in the Vatican.