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Vargas Joins Other Religious Leaders to Protest Restrictions
David Vargas, President of the Division of Overseas Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Co-Executive of Global Ministries, joined other religious leaders to express concern about "new interpretations of US government regulations" that restrict the ability of denominational bodies "to work closely with partner churches and religious institutions" in Cuba, and "to assist Cuban churches in their important faith witness."
In a letter sent to President Bush on April 28, 2006, Vargas and other religious leaders reminded the President that for more than a decade, local, regional and national church bodies have all been "eligible to receive licenses to conduct religious travel to Cuba." But "recent policy decisions by the State Department and the Treasury Department" severely limit this eligibility, thereby "damaging our ability to work with our sister churches in Cuba."
The letter also stressed that the partnership between US and Cuban churches "goes back many years," is "missionary and humanitarian" in nature, and "transcends political ideology." But, according to the religious leaders who co-authored and signed the letter to President Bush, this partnership is now hindered by "impractical restrictions that have reduced our ability to send religious delegations to Cuba, limit our opportunities to accompany and support our Cuban church partners, and have the effect of severely restricting participation in Cuba missions by many local U.S. churches and congregants."
Vargas and other religious leaders stressed that the new restrictions on religious travel to Cuba "curtail religious freedom" by allowing "undue governmental interference in the exercise of religion," and also impair the ability of US church bodies "to participate in what we understand to be the churches' global mission." Based on this assessment, the religious leaders urged President Bush "to affirm your Administration’s support for the free exercise of our work in mission and fellowship with churches and ecumenical agencies in Cuba, and to see that these restrictive and unnecessary regulations are reversed."
To read the letter to President Bush,
PLEASE CLICK HERE. |
