Cuban government is blocking religious charities from aiding Hurricane Irma victims, pastor warns

A Cuban pastor has warned that the communist government is blocking the efforts of religious charities to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of Hurricane Irma.

Pastor Mario Félix Lleonart Barroso, a Cuban missionary and human rights activist, has stated that the "Cuban regime has not responded adequately" to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, the first Category 5 hurricane to hit the island in over 80 years.

A report released by the Cuban government in late September indicated that 158,554 homes were affected by the storm, 14,657 of which were destroyed and 16,646 partially destroyed. While other Caribbean islands affected by hurricanes were able to receive aid from international charities, Cubans have limited access to humanitarian aid following disasters due to the barriers put in place by the government.

Barroso, who has been arrested numerous times for his opposition to the government, told The Christian Post in an email that the government is trying to blocking religious and secular aid organizations from providing relief to the hurricane victims.

"Attempts by churches to help Cuban citizens are viewed with suspicion by the authorities. The regime always tries to subtract the prestige and influences of the churches among the population. From Cuba, I have been warned of threats and even arrests against believers who have only wanted to help," he said.

The pastor noted that he has heard of instances when the government confiscated humanitarian aid from groups like "Pastores por el cambio."

"In relation to Hurricane Irma, we met two missionaries who belong to the group called 'Caminos de Victorias.' They were detained for a whole day and then released," he recounted.

Barroso asserted that most of the humanitarian funding Cuba receives is being spent on tourist facilities owned by the government.

He said that despite the pressure from the government, "churches persist in helping."

"Outside the government, [organizations are] not allowed to help, either from the ecclesial or secular realm. However, both churches and secular organizations try to help as they can, even if problems are sought," the pastor said.

Barroso drew widespread attention last year after he was arrested just before U.S. President Barack Obama landed in Cuba for a three-day visit in March 2016. He said that he was locked up in a "dungeon" and was mistreated before he was released on March 22.

His arrest in 2016 was just one of about 20 times he was apprehended by the authorities for his opposition to the communist regime since his first arrest in February 2011.

Barroso and his family have been living in the U.S. since Aug. 18, 2016 after they were accepted as refugees by the U.S. government.

The pastor has since written a book, titled "Cubano Confesante," to chronicle his experiences in Cuba between 2010 and 2016.

He is planning to share his testimony of persecution at the fourth annual Night of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Nov. 18 at Chinese Community Church in Washington, D.C., where he will be joined by other persecuted Christians from North Korea, Pakistan and Iran.