Rev. John L. McCullough
Photo: T.Abraham/CWS |
From the Executive Director's Desk...
Re-membering the Body of Christ: Time to Restore Travel to Cuba
January 2007
By Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO, Church World
Service
At the beginning of a new year, as a new Congress begins its work, now is a good time for the U.S. government to end its improper and counter-productive restrictions on travel to Cuba.
Biblical inspiration
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4: 3-6
We learn about and practice our Christian faith as interdependent members of a global community. In the 21 st century, the Christian community extends across cultural and political boundaries throughout the entire world. This passage from the epistle to the Ephesians speaks of the unity of body of Christ and eloquently proclaims that relationship and fellowship are at the heart of the Church’s life and mission.
I am deeply troubled by U.S. government interference with our ability to express the unity of the body of Christ by restricting the relationships between U.S. Christians with our Cuban brothers and sisters. Consequently, during 2007, Church World Service will join with other religious and humanitarian organizations in asking Congress to pass legislation to end the ban on travel to Cuba.
Current U.S. policies diminish Cuban and American Christians’ ability to engage in theological dialogue, mutual learning, and expressions of solidarity and compassion. To hinder the ability of church members from different countries to gather together, visit each other, worship together and lend humanitarian support across national boundaries strikes at the core of our religious identity and freedom. The free flow of people and ideas benefits all people and is necessary for our growth and development as nations and societies.
Hindering Christian Fellowship
During the past three years, the U.S. State and Treasury Departments have been closing the few remaining opportunities for Americans to travel to Cuba. The U.S. government has now limited Cuban-American family visits to only once every three years, with no exceptions for humanitarian emergencies; banned virtually all educational and cultural exchanges; and restricted religious travel. These measures trample on important American values – sustaining family life, religious freedom, academic liberty and the right to travel.
In 2005 the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) broke with a decades-long practice of granting multiple-visit Cuba travel licenses to regional and national church bodies and ecumenical agencies. These religious institutions are now limited to one visit per calendar quarter, with additional restrictions on the number of travelers. This requirement creates a real obstacle to Christian fellowship.
Moreover, U.S. churches find it increasingly difficult to bring Cuban church leaders to the United States. Leaders previously permitted to travel to the United States to attend church gatherings are now routinely denied visas. Leaders of the Cuba Council of Churches are especially singled out and denied visas to enter the United States.
Interfering in Religious Affairs
While national and regional religious groups’ access was curtailed, OFAC continues to offer local congregations travel permits without restrictions on the number of visits or travelers.
The result of this policy has been that some individual congregations have been able to multiply the numbers of people they send to Cuba, while historic U.S. denominations and ecumenical agencies – many of whom have been critical of the U.S. government’s trade and travel restrictions toward Cuba -- have been reduced to sending fewer delegations. For example, in the two-year period just prior to losing its multi-trip license, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA had sent 33 delegations to Cuba.
Moreover, under the new policy cross-congregational delegations are almost impossible and congregations with limited resources – who rely on their national denomination to make such trips possible for their members – are largely shut out.
In my view, by taking upon itself the right to decide which organizational level – local or national -- qualifies for which kind of religious travel license, OFAC is engaging in improper and discriminatory interference in the life and mission of the churches. T his policy gives the appearance of intentionally shaping religious travel for the sake of U.S. government political purposes. If so, it constitutes a serious moral breach of the proper roles of church and state.
By injecting itself into religious matters and restricting religious freedom for the sake of political ends, the government is treading on holy ground where it has no business going.
The Cuban travel ban is unwise and unpopular. The isolationist policy toward Cuba by successive U.S. administrations has utterly failed to accomplish its goals. A recent Gallup Poll found that 67% of Americans surveyed favor re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba (vs. 27% who oppose). This view was held across political lines – by a majority of both Republicans and Democrats polled.
This is one issue that has popular, bipartisan support. Religious leaders will look to Congress in 2007 to restore the right of all Americans to travel to Cuba.
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