wfn.org | NCC Delegation to Cuba

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
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Note 503 by UMNS on Dec. 11, 1997 at 16:07 Eastern (3642 characters).

CONTACT: Linda Bloom					691(10-71B){503}
		New York (212) 870-3803		Dec. 11, 1997

Churches vow to redouble
efforts opposing Cuba embargo

			by United Methodist News Service

	An ecumenical delegation that visited Cuba Dec. 6-9 plans to redouble efforts
to convince the U.S. government to lift the decades-long trade embargo against
that country.
	Sponsored by the National Council of Churches (NCC), the 10-member delegation
included the Rev. Randolph Nugent and the Rev. Michael Rivas, general
secretary and deputy general secretary, respectively, of the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries.
	The delegation's visit was timed to give visibility to the ministry of
Protestant and Anglican churches in Cuba before the arrival of Pope John Paul
II there in late January. The delegates noted the growing cooperation between
the Ecumenical Council of Cuba and the Roman Catholic Church of Cuba.
	The delegation will redouble efforts to lift the embargo against Cuba, the
Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, NCC general secretary, said in a Dec. 8 statement in
Havana. The NCC and a number of its member groups have condemned the sanctions
as unjust and immoral.
	The group also pledged to work for the restoration of direct flights between
the United States and Cuba to expedite the flow of humanitarian aid.
	"I'm deeply concerned because it seems to me that humanitarian aid is
needed," Nugent told United Methodist News Service.
	United Methodists have contributed to the 38 shipments of food, medicine,
medical equipment, school supplies and other goods sent by the NCC since 1992
under a U.S. Treasury license. But after the U.S. government decided to
prohibit direct flights between Miami and Havana, the cost of sending
humanitarian aid rose significantly.
	"What we could send for transportation of $6,000 is now $36,000," Nugent
explained. The extra $30,000 could be put to much better use by the churches,
he said.
	What aid does arrive is put to good use, according to Campbell.
     "The Cuban Council of Churches has developed a very effective program to
ensure that this humanitarian assistance reaches those whose needs are
greatest -- children, pregnant women and the elderly," she said. "Through this
work, the Cuban churches are finding new ways to serve the society in which
they live, carrying out the gospel mandate to love neighbor as self."
	In fact, the churches are thriving, Nugent said. "They're growing, and their
faith is deepening."
	One of the ministries is providing care for neglected and isolated elderly
people. The delegation visited sites where projects have been developed for
the elderly, both in local churches and in institutions.
     To witness that effort of Christian community, Nugent said, "was a moment
of reflection and thanksgiving for the faithfulness of the people there."
	"We are inspired by the steadfast faith of our brothers and sisters in Cuba,"
Campbell noted. "We are also encouraged to note a greater openness on the part
of the Cuban government to the growing expression of religious belief and to
faith in action in this country."
	The delegation expressed hope that the Pope's visit will reinforce that
openness. The group plans to share the findings of its Cuba visit with the
Vatican, the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops and the U.S. government.
	"We will communicate with the Holy Father our deep and abiding opposition to
the U.S. embargo and our plans to work for the dismantling of the embargo,"
Campbell said, "starting with efforts to promote the adoption of current
legislation that would allow the U.S. sale of food and medicines to Cuba."
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