Priests from Cuba’s Santeria religion see hard year ahead

A follower of the Yoruba religion Randell Montero speaks during a news conference in Havana, Cuba, January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

HAVANA (Reuters) - Priests from Cuba’s Afro-Cuban Santeria religion on Monday warned of a difficult year ahead and called on followers to guard against calamities and mounting social ills after a tough year in 2022 in which a record number of Cubans left the Communist-run island.

"Do not delay pending religious works and consecrations,” the priests, known as babalawos and grouped together in the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba, advised in their Letter of the Year published Sunday.