http://www.granma.cu/ingles/news-i/27nov-blockade.html
avana. November 27, 2012
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.
Photo: Ismael Batista
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.
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