Cuban Arrests Pastor Over Bible Video as Crackdown on Faith Intensifies

A Cuban pastor was forcibly detained by authorities after doing something millions of Americans take for granted — teaching the Bible online.

Pastor Rolando Pérez Lora was arrested on March 15 in the Matanzas region after uploading a sermon to YouTube, according to watchdog groups and eyewitness footage that has since gone viral.

The incident is now fueling renewed outrage over religious repression inside the communist-run island — and raising fresh questions about how long the regime can continue silencing dissent as unrest spreads nationwide.

The arrest unfolded in a public park in the Peñas Altas area — one of the few places locals can access Wi-Fi. Pérez Lora had just finished uploading a video to his channel, “Pregonero de Cristo” (“Christ’s Herald”), part of a weekly routine where he records outdoor Bible teachings.

But this time, authorities were waiting.

Video captured by the pastor’s wife, Gelayne Rodríguez Ávila, shows officers pushing Pérez Lora toward a patrol vehicle as he resists.

“We were making a video in the park, and they are taking Pastor Rolando away because he uploaded a video reading the Bible,” she said in the recording.

As officers forced him into the car, Pérez Lora can be heard protesting:
“You’re mistreating me for no reason; I haven’t done anything wrong.”

In the background, the couple’s young children can be heard crying.

The footage quickly exploded online, racking up hundreds of thousands of views within hours and sparking outrage across social media.

Though Pérez Lora was released after roughly three hours in custody, he says the incident is just the latest in a long campaign of intimidation.

The pastor claims Cuban authorities have targeted him since 2011, when he entered ministry. While leading a church in Las Tunas, he says state security repeatedly summoned him for questioning, monitored his congregation, and even tracked believers during public prayer walks.

“They have been watching us for years,” Pérez Lora reportedly said, describing a system where faith outside government control is treated as a threat.

Under Cuban law, churches must register with the state to operate legally. Independent or unregistered ministries often face surveillance, harassment, or worse.

The pastor’s detention comes at a volatile moment for Cuba.

The island has been rocked by days of protests following widespread blackouts, food shortages, and collapsing medical supplies. In one dramatic incident, protesters reportedly torched a Communist Party building in the city of Morón. At least one person was shot.

Authorities responded by cutting internet access in key regions and detaining activists and critics. Some were reportedly placed under house arrest.

Religious leaders have not been spared.

Groups like Christian Solidarity Worldwide warn that the Cuban government increasingly views independent Christian activity as a political threat — especially when it reaches a wider audience online.

As President Donald Trump continues to emphasize religious liberty on the global stage in 2026, cases like Pérez Lora’s are drawing sharper scrutiny in Washington and among American faith leaders.

For many, the contrast is clear.

In the United States, pastors livestream sermons freely. In Cuba, one pastor was hauled away in front of his family for doing the same.

Advocates say the incident underscores a broader reality: in communist regimes, even reading the Bible aloud can be treated as an act of defiance.

And as unrest grows across the island, the Cuban government appears increasingly willing to crack down — not just on protesters, but on anyone spreading a message it cannot control.