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ANOTHER U.S. BLOCKADE ACTION
Against religious freedoms
SHEYLA DELGADO GUERRA
THE latest violation of the U.S. blockade, this time against religious freedom in Cuba, has been condemned in Havana. This came after $101,000, which should have been transferred to the country weeks ago to cover food and accommodation costs for participants in the 6th Assembly General of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) was frozen in the Miami branch of the Ecuadoran Pichincha bank.
The president of CLAI, Bishop Julio Murray, told the press that the organization was informed that the funds were not blocked, but frozen. He insisted on the urgent need for the release of this capital, given that it belongs to Latin American and Caribbean churches and religious institutions and is directed to an event of much impact in evangelization.
As Reverend Joel Ortega Dopico, president of the Cuban Council of Churches, stated during the reading of an official statement, the only reason for such a measure is that Cuba is the venue of the Assembly. “Once again, the policy of blockade against Cuba and its people on the part of the current U.S. administration, as well as the 10 preceding it, has manifested itself. This way of proceeding constitutes a serious limitation on the freedom of Christian churches to undertake their work,” he emphasized.
Reverend Nilton Giese, CLAI secretary general, explained that after contacting the Miami bank in early November to find out what was happening, he was informed that the funds were momentarily frozen until their destination was known. “We sent a letter and then received a number of telephone replies saying that everything was being discussed. This has now been going on for four weeks,” he noted.
The general assemblies take place every six years and the CLAI board of directors agreed that Havana should be the venue of the sixth edition, scheduled for February 19-24, 2013, with the participation of some 400 delegates.
Due to the non-availability of resources for the event, the Cuban Council of Churches has announced a mobilization of its members to collect funds, and is appealing for international support in relation to the U.S. blockade.
According to Murray, this limitation is in violation of the U.S. Treasury Department’s own regulations, which facilitate the sending of remittances or transfers of this kind for religious purposes.
A statement from Reverend Ortega Dopico argues how the United States, “a self-proclaimed example of religious freedom in the world, is curtailing and restricting it with ethically unacceptable policies.”
Just a few months before the scheduled event, the Latin American Council of Churches – which brings together 188 churches and ecumenical bodies from 20 countries – has confirmed its decision to maintain the venue, as Cuba is a living testament for the world in relation to religious freedoms.
