Sister Ariagna Brito Rodríguez of the Sisters of Charity of Cardinal Sancha lamented on Facebook that “the Cuban government, using its faculties of dictatorial power, without principles or values, forces him to leave the country: they fear the truth, they fear the face of good and getting rid of what irritates them is their only way of proceeding.”
“This shouldn’t happen; those who ought to leave the country are those who use power to live as kings, at the expense of a slave people, punished, beaten, and forced to flee,” the nun added.
In November 2020, the priest expressed his support for a group of activists from the San Isidro Movement, who were on a hunger strike to free one of their members they considered to have been unjustly imprisoned and sentenced without a defense. The nun simply wanted to visit them to give them some spiritual consolation and hope but was barred by the authorities.
“All this pains us. We cannot close our eyes and look the other way. It’s not just about who’s right or wrong. It’s not about ideologies on the left or the right. It is about things as simple as the right to live, to express what one thinks, to discuss differences without ‘demonizing’ the opposite opinion, to respect the dignity of all,” the priest wrote on Facebook at the time.
In their statement, the Jesuits explain that Pantaleón, “in his five years of service on the island, accompanied many religious men and women, and the various initiatives of the conference, including accompanying prisoners and their families.”
“His departure fills us with sadness, but at the same time with gratitude for all the good received through him,” the Jesuits said.