wfn.org | NCCCUSA Cuba Delegation Returns

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: Wendy S. McDowell, NCC, 212-870-2227
Internet: wendy@ncccusa.org   NCC Website: www.ncccusa.org

NCC12/10/97        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCC DELEGATION TO CUBA REAFFIRMS WISH 
FOR U.S. TO LIFT EMBARGO

 NEW YORK, Dec. 10 ---- A 10-member ecumenical 
pastoral delegation to Cuba from the National Council of 
Churches (NCC) returned from their Dec. 6-9 trip with a 
renewed commitment to redouble their efforts to increase 
humanitarian assistance to the people of Cuba and to press 
the United States government to lift its embargo against 
Cuba.

 According to NCC General Secretary the Rev. Dr. Joan 
Brown Campbell, who led the delegation, "the suffering of 
the Cuban people from the effects of the embargo is what 
makes us say again that this embargo, particularly that on 
humanitarian aid including food and medicine, must be 
lifted."  The delegation's statement renews the NCC's call 
for the governments of Cuba and the United States to 
normalize relations.

 As guests of the Cuban Council of Churches, the high-
level delegation visited and preached in local churches 
Sunday and met with church leaders, including the President 
of the Cuban Council of Churches along with leaders of CCC 
member churches, and with Monsignor Cesbedes, Ecumenical 
Secretary for the Roman Catholic Episcopal Conference.  The 
delegation also met with Cuban and U.S. government 
officials, including Roberto Robaina, Minister for Foreign 
Affairs, and Dr. Ricardo Alarcon, President of the 
Parliament.  

The intention of the visit was to reaffirm the Cuba 
Humanitarian Aid Program and "strengthen the ties of 
friendship and understanding between our churches and our 
peoples," Dr. Campbell said.  "We gained clarity about the 
picture of religious life in Cuba.  We learned that 87 
percent of the population of Cuba is religious.  280,000 
are Roman Catholics and 300,000 are Protestants.  There are 
635 Roman Catholic congregations, and 1,600 Protestant 
congregations  The 1,100 Protestant pastors all are Cubans, 
except for three.  Of the 240 Roman Catholic priests, 120 
were born outside of Cuba."

 The delegation also visited a hospital and a home for 
the elderly which have been recipients of humanitarian 
assistance sent by the communions of the NCC.  Dr. Campbell 
said that the visits and discussions reaffirmed the 
delegation's understanding that U.S. policies restricting 
efforts to provide humanitarian assistance are hindering 
the ability of the Cuban churches to respond to human need.

 Besides Dr. Campbell and Mr. Bolioli, the delegation 
included: the Rev. Dr. Randolph Nugent, General Secretary, 
General Board of Global Ministries, and the Rev. Michael 
Rivas, Deputy General Secretary for Planning and Research, 
both of the United Methodist Church; the Rev. Dr. Marian 
McClure, Director, Worldwide Ministries Division, 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); the Rev. Dr. Bennett W. 
Smith, Sr., President, and the Rev. Tyrone Pitts, General 
Secretary, both of the Progressive National Baptist 
Convention, Inc.; the Rev. Dr. Albert M. Pennybacker, NCC 
Associate General Secretary for Public Policy and Director 
of the Washington Office, and Ms. Cheryl Morden, Associate 
Director, Office on Development Policy, Church World 
Service/Lutheran World Relief.

The delegation's statement follows:

-end-NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN THE U.S.A.

Statement by
Joan Brown Campbell
on behalf of the Ecumenical Delegation to Cuba

December 8, 1997
Havana, Cuba

We are an ecumenical delegation visiting Cuba at the 
invitation of the Cuban Council of Churches as part of an 
ongoing effort to strengthen the ties of friendship and 
understanding between our churches and our peoples.

During our short visit here, we have met with church 
leaders and with Cuban and U.S. government officials.  We 
had the opportunity to visit a hospital and a home for the 
elderly, both of which have used some of the humanitarian 
assistance sent by our churches.

The U.S. and the Cuban Councils and many of our member 
churches have a long history of relations, some going back 
more than a century.  In recent years we have worked to 
deepen our relations.  Of particular importance in this 
regard was the gathering in 1991 of Protestant church 
representatives from throughout the hemisphere who came 
together in Havana to express their affirmation and support 
for the Protestant churches in Cuba.

Among the most significant outcomes of that meeting was the 
decision to initiate a program of humanitarian assistance 
from the U.S. churches to the people of Cuba through the 
Cuban Council of Churches.  Over the past five years the 
National Council of Churches in the U.S.A., acting on 
behalf of its member churches, has sent 38 shipments of 
food, medicine, medical equipment, school supplies and 
other goods totaling 272 tons with a market value of $7 
million.

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.  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 addition to this program of humanitarian assistance, a 
number of denominations have initiated or expanded exchange 
programs, providing opportunities for clergy and laity from 
each country to visit and come to know their counterparts.  
We believe that these exchanges will cultivate greater 
understanding and provide the foundation of friendship that 
will lead to the normalization of relations between our 
countries.  Our experience has taught us that faith can 
unite where governments divide.

For many years, the National Council of Churches of Christ 
in the U.S.A. and its member churches have called on the 
governments of Cuba and the United States to resolve the 
differences that are serving to divide our countries.  We 
have called for an end to the U.S. embargo against Cuba, 
which we believe to be morally wrong and politically 
ineffective.  The U.S. stands almost entirely isolated from 
the rest of the world community in its insistence on this 
immoral policy.

As we reflect on our brief visit here, we would highlight 
five points.

First, we rejoice to witness again first hand the spirit 
that is vibrantly alive and moving within the churches in 
Cuba.  We celebrate the growth in the number of local 
congregations and the increase in church membership and in 
the number of individuals participating in religious 
activities.  Truly, the Holy Spirit is at work in Cuba.

Second, we affirm the church as it continues to discern its 
role within the Cuban society.  We are inspired by the 
steadfast faith of our brothers and sisters in Cuba.  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.  
Most recently, members of local churches have begun to 
provide care for neglected and isolated elderly people.  
This direct involvement of the churches in meeting the 
human needs in their communities represents a new element 
in fulfilling their mission.

At the same time, we are deeply concerned that the ability 
of the Cuban churches to realize their potential in this 
area has been curtailed by U.S. policies that restrict our 
efforts to provide humanitarian assistance.  During the 
past year and a half the number of shipments and the amount 
of aid that we have been able to send to Cuba has 
diminished substantially, primarily as a result of the 
decision by the U.S. government to prohibit direct flights 
between Miami and Havana.

Humanitarian aid now must be shipped through a third 
country at a cost that is as much as four times the cost of 
shipping directly from the U.S.  In addition, because of 
the logistical complications resulting from the suspension 
of direct flights, we have had to discontinue our efforts 
to respond immediately to urgent needs for specific 
medicines.  Since the flights were suspended in 1996, we 
have been able to send only five shipments.  Two of those 
are arriving during these first weeks of December.

Finally, we believe that the Pope's visit will help to 
reinforce the growing openness and freedom of religious 
expression in Cuba.  We believe that the Pope will 
encounter and celebrate as we do the depth of faith of the 
Cuban people.

We note with grateful thanks the growing cooperation 
between the Ecumenical Council of Cuba and the Roman 
Catholic Church of Cuba.  This gift of unity will surely be 
a blessing to the people of Cuba.

As we prepare to return to our country, we are committed to 
renew our efforts to redress the injustice of U.S. policy 
and to help bring about more normal relations between the 
U.S. and Cuba.  Specifically, we believe we must

REDOUBLE OUR EFFORTS TO PRESS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO LIFT 
ITS EMBARGO

INCREASE OUR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF CUBA, 
IN PART THROUGH WORKING FOR THE RESTORATION OF DIRECT 
FLIGHTS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CUBA

EDUCATE AND MOBILIZE THE MEMBERS OF OUR CONGREGATIONS ABOUT 
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED AND WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE 
REALITY OF LIFE IN CUBA  WE ALSO WILL WORK TO EDUCATE THE 
GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH U.S. 
BUSINESS AND GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT SHARE OUR 
CONCERNS

Most immediately, we plan to share our findings with the 
Vatican, with the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops, and with 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, starting 
with efforts to promote the adoption of current legislation 
that would allow the U.S. sale of food and medicines to 
Cuba.

We leave Cuba with a deep sense of expectation and hope, a 
sense entirely appropriate to this season of Advent when 
the Christian community everywhere prepares for the 
celebration of God's overflowing expression of love.  We 
believe firmly that the churches in Cuba will remain 
constant in their faith and that their witness will bear 
fruit for the people of Cuba and shine like a beacon for 
people of faith throughout the world.

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