Bishops urge greater Cuban

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June 2004

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Bishops urge greater Cuban - U.S. contact
Full freedom for the Cuban people should not pursued through a tightened economic embargo or further travel restrictions, according to the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville (IL) used the release of a new report from the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba to reiterate USCCB positions on the Cuban embargo in a letter to President Bush released May 21. That report urged even tighter trade and travel restrictions on Americans doing business or visiting Cuba, an intensifying of the long-time U.S. embargo that Gregory and the USCCB urged the president to reject.

Gregory wrote: "In concert with Pope John Paul II and the Cuban bishops, we consider the economic embargo to be morally unacceptable and politically counterproductive. Over the many years of the embargo, it has failed to achieve its goals of unseating the Castro government, restoring democracy and protecting human rights. In fact, the embargo hurts ordinary people in Cuba—the poor, the aged and the infirm. The additional restrictions proposed by the Commission—limiting Cuban-American family visits and the amount of money they can send to Cuba—will only serve to exacerbate the situation within the country."

The White House commission recommends a number of tighter travel and overseas remittances controls including, limiting recipients of remittances and gift parcels to immediate family members of U.S. resident Cubans; limiting family visits to Cuba to one trip every three years under a specific license to visit immediate family (grandparents, grandchildren, parents, siblings, spouses, and children) ; and reducing the authorized per diem amount for a family visit (the authorized amount allowed for food and lodging expenses for travel in Cuba) from $164 per day to $50 per day. The new policies also drastically curbs educational travel: only students on full semester programs will be allowed to study in Cuba; shorter duration programs will only be licensed if they "directly promote U.S. foreign policy goals."

Gregory commented: "The Commission's goals of meeting basic human needs in education, health care and housing, modernizing transportation and improving the environment, and most importantly, enhancing the democratic governance of Cuba, are laudable," according to Gregory. "However, these goals can be accomplished best through greater rather than less contact with the American people."

Gregory reminded the president that the USCCB "strongly denounced" the crackdown on Cuban human rights advocates in March and April of 2003 "and will continue to do so.

"For too long the people of Cuba have endured excessive social, political and economic controls, causing great numbers of Cubans to seek freedom abroad. Thus we welcome the attention that the Commission brings to these fundamental injustices so close to our own borders.

"We hope, however, that the Commission's recommendations for tightening the economic embargo and further restricting travel will not be accepted. . . . It would be far better, in our view, to work toward opening up Cuban society through increased trade and economic activity, lifting travel restrictions and engaging in more intense diplomatic activity."

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