The community reports the theft of candelabras, liturgical ornaments and fans, in addition to significant damage to display cases and windows.
HAVANA, Cuba. – This Wednesday, the religious community of the Piarist Fathers of Guanabacoa, in Havana, reported on his Facebook page about a robbery and acts of vandalism that occurred in his temple, on the night of last Tuesday, October 28.
The temple, located next to the old cloister and school of the educational order (expropriated by the Cuban regime since the 1960s and used as the municipal headquarters of the Ministry of Education and other teaching spaces), is dedicated to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and is a place of great spiritual value for the people of Guanabaco.
According to the statement released by representatives of the church, the criminals acted with contempt towards the sacred space and left considerable damage in different rooms of the temple. The incident has been described as violent and premeditated.
Among what was stolen and damaged are the candelabras of the Holy Sacrament and the images of the Holy Family; all fans and light bulbs, as well as liturgical ornaments. The thieves also broke a display case and the wooden shop windows; In addition, they damaged the bars of a window to facilitate the theft of the objects.
The most serious thing, they point out, is that, after making the call to the police authorities and formalizing the complaint, they did not go to the scene to collect evidence, verify damage or initiate an investigation. The publication describes a feeling of abandonment by the institutions in charge of protecting citizens and cultural and religious heritage.
“We feel abandoned by those who have the constitutional duty to protect citizens and our heritage. If they do not respond to a criminal act of this magnitude, where is the security that we deserve?” reads the statement.
The theft and vandalism in the temple of the Piarist Fathers joins other similar acts in religious buildings in Guanabacoa. A few weeks ago they also registered robberies in the Hermitage of Potosí and, subsequently, the abandonment of the old convent and school of the Piarists was reported, the part of which expropriated by the Government has been a cause of concern.
The actor and artistic director Jorge Mederos Reyes critical the inaction of the Government of Guanabacoa in the face of the deterioration of the property, assured that the heritage is being lost “in the sight and complicity of everyone” and accused the local authorities of allowing the looting and deterioration of a site declared of high heritage protection. The building housed one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Cuba for decades.
Even though the religious order does not currently have a network of schools and formal education on the Island, the presence of the Piarists in Cuba persists. The order, which opened its first house in Latin America in 1857, precisely in Guanabacoa, has sought to reinvent itself in the face of historical changes. Currently, with the collaboration of lay people, workers, teachers and volunteers, the Piarist Fathers direct two cultural centers: one in Guanabacoa and another in the parish of San Judas, in the neighborhood of Los Sitios. There they manage a daycare and offer school reinforcement, language classes, arts, among other services.
A local parishioner confirmed to CubaNet that the religious have not yet received answers from the authorities about the events that occurred in the Ermita del Potosí, so they have no hope that this time they will act differently.
