Thief threatens priests with death after being caught stealing from Havana church

A man caught stealing from a Catholic church in Diez de Octubre, Havana, threatened to kill the priests who stopped him. “If I had a knife, I would kill you both,” he repeatedly warned in an intimidating tone after he was caught stealing from the church. Parish of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal In Santos Suarez June 22, according to a detailed report by the journalist Rachel Susana DiezCorrespondent in Cuba for the Catholic Communication Channel EWTN Network.

The journalist said that the same man committed at least 12 thefts, half of them in Catholic churches, “although he was never arrested and continued to try.” Diez stressed that the presence of the individual and “the state of alert in the communities regarding thefts have raised concerns about the responsibility for thefts or acts of vandalism against ecclesiastical property in Catholic churches.” Cuba.”

According to the records kept by EWTN NetworkAt least 50 cases of theft and vandalism have been reported in 34 parishes, religious community houses and churches in different regions of Cuba between March 2023 and today. Most of the reports come from churches in Havana.

Community concerns and police inaction

The part of the report where the captured thief threatens the priests was published this Sunday on Facebook by a young Catholic filmmaker Adrian Martinez CadizThe priests called the police and prevented the individual from leaving for an extended period of time, “until they had no choice but to let him go, because Cuban police never happened,” Martínez said. “He is now free thanks to the inefficiency or notable disinterest of the Cuban authorities to stop those who attack the Catholic Church on the island.”

“This is not the first time that authorities have been called to intervene for problems,” he added. “At least five other times, police assistance has been requested because of problems with people trying to attack parishioners, and the authorities have never shown up.”

On the day of the incident, the EWTN correspondent posted a lengthy message on Facebook about the frequent thefts and vandalism against churches after the man was captured on June 22. “This afternoon, my parish, the Community of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Santos Suarez, Diez de Octubre, was the scene of an attempted theft that was fortunately spotted and stopped in time by our priest, who intercepted the thief as he jumped the fence to access the temple and the parish house,” she wrote.

“When asked about his motivations, the man said he did it to find a pill,” Diez said, adding: “I don’t know whether to pity a man who so openly insults our intelligence or to consider the level of degradation our society has reached that would push someone to embark on such a suicidal adventure.”

The young woman said she did not know the reasons that motivated the individual to steal, nor the motivations “behind those who broke the stained glass and windows of the Church of San Antonio de Padua In Orange Riveran act reported a few hours ago by Father Kenny Fernandez” or ” the reason behind those who have committed successive acts of vandalism for more than a year at the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Linea del Vedadosupervised by Father Lester Zayas.”

She also recalled the complaint of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross In Baraguawhere “they have experienced 10 thefts this year alone and more than 50 in the community.”

The journalist then offered her professional services to document the criminal acts committed against the Catholic temples in the country. “I announce through this to our brothers in the faith that I will gather all the material possible to make known the complaints and expose our level of vulnerability in this matter,” she stressed.

“When someone can jump in broad daylight a fence as visible as the one that surrounds my community, it is because he understands that there are certain limits of impunity within which he can act, whatever his needs,” Diez said. “As Cubans, we know well the popular saying that ‘he who steals is ready for anything.’”

“In the evangelical love that unites us, we also know that stealing is a sin. And prolonged exposure to dishonesty has serious consequences on the moral fabric of any society. Silence also makes us accomplices,” concludes the young laywoman.