Church World Service CEO lauds Obama's new Cuba travel policies

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Church World Service CEO lauds Obama's new Cuba travel policies
Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Friday's White House decision to ease travel
restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba for
religious, educational and cultural exchanges
signals "the beginning of a new era of relations
between the United States and Cuba."

'Prescient, important action' ending 'an

unfortunate period of religious restriction unworthy of our democracy'

Washington, D.C./New York, NY ? The head of
faith-based humanitarian agency Church World
Service says Friday?s White House decision to
ease travel restrictions between the United
States and Cuba for religious, educational and
cultural exchanges signals "the beginning of a
new era of relations between the U.S. and Cuba."

Under the new U.S. policy guidelines, religious
and higher education organizations will hold
general licenses, which require no application to
or specific clearance by the Office of Foreign
Assets Control (OFAC) for "purposeful" travel between the two countries.

In a letter to President Obama today, the Rev.
John L. McCullough, CWS executive director and
chief executive officer, expressed appreciation
and "profound joy" on behalf of the agency and
its 37 member communions and partner ecumenical
organizations in Latin America and the
Caribbean.  In addition to granting general
licenses for religious travel to Cuba the
executive order allows remittances to religious
institutions in Cuba in support of religious activities.

"At this time of rapid growth among Cuban

churches your prescient and important action will
finally allow U.S. churches and ecumenical
institutions to accompany, support and mutually
benefit from unrestricted fellowship with our
Cuban church partners," McCullough told the
President.  "It will enable relations that are
more than just historic, but which are vital also
to the wellbeing of our churches and the ministries we serve."

The relief, development and refugee assistance
agency leader underscored the value of more open
doors and enhanced spiritual and educational
exchange between the two countries, saying
"Churches across the theological spectrum in the
United States and Cuba will welcome your
Executive Order.  This is a critical time to open
the doors to allow greater people-to-people
engagement of all kinds and at all levels between
the two countries.  Such exchanges cannot help
but bring mutual benefit and greater
understanding to the people of the United States and Cuba."

"I believe that in time we will realize this as
the beginning of a new era of relations between
the United States and Cuba," he said.

McCullough also urged a continuation of efforts
toward ending the economic embargo against Cuba
and normalizing relations between the two
countries.  "While we applaud this critically
important step forward by President Obama, at the
same time we hope it will lead to a more historic
step forward ? a constructive end to the embargo,
which will require Congressional action.

> "An economic embargo should never be
> characterized as normal relations between
> nations, and yet that has been the case between
> the United States and Cuba since 1960," he reminded.

> Obama's directive: issued on an MLK moment

McCullough said it didn?t escape his notice that
the timing of the President?s executive order
coincided with Martin Luther King Day, "a somber
moment in which we reflect[ed] on the legacy of
the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his
prophetic work for social justice."

From New York today, McCullough cited King?s
statement, "Men often hate each other because
they fear each other; they fear each other
because they don't know each other; they don't
know each other because they can not communicate;
they can not communicate because they are separated."*

He further acknowledged President Obama's

"decisive action to put an end to an unfortunate
period of restriction on religious fellowship and
mission, unworthy of our democracy and counter to
the interests of our nation.  We welcome the new
era of openness and pray that it will eventually
be extended to include the opportunity for full
engagement between the peoples of the United States and Cuba."

* Stride Toward Freedom: the Montgomery Story (1958), Martin Luther King

Media Contact:

Lesley Crosson, 212-870-2676, lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526, jdragin@gis.net