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 News from Around the Americas | June 2006 
US Cuba Travel Ban Violates Religious Freedom, Says NCC
 Prensa Latina
| | The Cuban Council of Churches. |
The US National Council of Churches and the Church World Service (the churches' global development agency) have joined with other organizations to renew objections to new US government restrictions on travel to Cuba.
"The current US policy toward Cuba restricts religious freedom and is contrary to the principles upon which our nation was founded," said the Rev Brenda Girton-Mitchell, the NCC staff executive for justice and advocacy, during a news conference last week, reported Ekklesia newsletter.
She continued: "We reiterate our call on the US government to respect religious freedom and restore the less restrictive travel licenses that we have had for decades."
Last year, says the religious media, the NCC and CWS, along with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, American Baptist Churches, Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ Global Ministries, received notices from the US Office of Foreign Assets that their existing licenses for religious travel to Cuba would not be renewed.
Now, the US Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, which recommended the travel restrictions adopted by President Bush in May of 2004, is expected to make new recommendations in the coming weeks when it issues its second report.
In addition to the call for less restrictive travel licenses, the NCC has expressed concern about the actions taken by the current US administration against the Cuban Council of Churches, denying their officials visas for religious travel to the United States.
Martin Shupack, CWS Associate Director for Public Policy, said this amounts to the US government intruding in internal church affairs. He added that "the Cuban Council of Churches is the authentic ecumenical expression of Christians in Cuba and to interfere with that religious expression is wrong."
The NCC and CWS have had an ecumenical relationship with the Cuban Conference of Churches for more than 50 years. |
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