wfn.org | Cuban Leader Meets with NCCCUSA

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the 
U.S.A.
Internet: c/o carol_fouke.parti@ecunet.org

Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227

NCC6/30/97 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESIDENT OF CUBA'S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEETS WITH NCC

 NEW YORK, June 27 ---- Denominational and 
ecumenical staff members' informal meeting here 
today with Dr. Ricardo Alarcon de Quezada, President 
of Cuba's National Assembly, began with the expected 
"thank yous."

 "Thanks for your policy and actions against the 
embargo and in favor of a more normal relation 
between our countries," Dr. Alarcon told the dozen 
or so staff from the National Council of Churches 
and several of its member denominations.  "And 
humanitarian aid from U.S. Catholic and Protestant 
churches has helped" Cuba cope with the economic 
hardships resulting from the embargo.

 But the vocabulary of the meeting changed when 
Dr. Alarcon began to use words more common in 
pulpits than in political discourse: "ethics," 
"equality," "morality," a sense of responsibility," 
"solidarity," "brotherhood."

 "We need societies based more on moral and 
spiritual values, and less on materialism, 
selfishness and individualism," he said.  "We need 
brotherhood on earth.  Christianity had this idea 
before socialism did.  Claim it!  A Christian has to 
define him/herself by his/her action on earth, how 
you treat your brother and sister."

These are values shared by Christians and by 
the Cuban government, Dr. Alarcon said, "which leads 
us to express similar concerns - although," he 
quipped, "we don't necessary use the same sources."  

Dr. Alarcon was in New York to attend the 
United Nations environmental summit, and asked to 
meet with U.S. church leaders during his visit.  The 
NCC invited him to its headquarters.  He met earlier 
in the week with Roman Catholic officials as the 
Pope prepares to visit Cuba.  

The NCC - a cooperative organization of 33 
Protestant and Orthodox denominations with 52 
million members total - actively has urged the U.S. 
government to lift its embargo against Cuba and 
normalize relations.  

The Council, through its humanitarian response 
arm, Church World Service, has a U.S. government 
license to supply humanitarian assistance and for 
official church visits to Cuba.

 The NCC's General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Joan 
B. Campbell, read the following statement during the 
reception that followed today's discussion:

 "We affirm the historical position of the NCCC 
and its member churches in their call to lift the 
embargo against Cuba.  The embargo has become a 
cruel instrument in its impact on the health of 
children and elderly people, as was reaffirmed by 
the recent report of the American Association for 
World Health.

 "We welcome the improvements of policies 
initiated by the Cuban government.  The NCCC was 
among the first to suggest the reopening of the 
agricultural internal market in 1994.  We hope these 
improvements continue.  Although we have disagreed 
at times, we have established a dialogue of mutual 
respect.  It is our desire that Cuba and the United 
States move to open the possibilities of dialogue 
leading to just solutions that are respectful of the 
differences that have divided our two nations, and 
to find ways to normalize relations.

 "We wish to express our support to the 
Congressional bipartisan initiative that would 
enable U.S.A. companies to sell medicines and food 
to Cuba as a step forward in dtente among our two 
nations."

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