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Council of Churches is too cozy with Castro Last week, Elian's grandmothers arrived from Cuba to beg at a tearful press conference for his return to Cuba. They were attended by a delegation from the National Council of Churches (NCC), which has offered to mediate the dispute. The NCC arranged the press conference at which the grandmothers spoke; it apparently financed their visit as well. At first glance, Americans might feel relieved that a religiously affiliated organization like the NCC has offered its services in this perplexing dispute. We expect that the NCC is motivated by a dedication to human rights and well-being, and so will place Elian's best interests at the center of the equation. But there's more to this story than meets the eye. If Americans had the whole picture, they would likely be troubled, not encouraged, by the NCC's involvement in Elian's plight. The fact is, the NCC has carried water for the Castro regime for years, helping to prop up the aging general's collapsing social system in a variety of ways. Until recently, the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell -- one of the NCC spokespersons in Elian's case -- was secretary general of the National Council of Churches. Under her leadership (and well before), the NCC showed itself willing to tolerate without protest almost any violation of human rights in Cuba -- lack of freedom of speech and assembly, absence of democratic government, inhuman treatment of political prisoners -- on grounds that Cuba provides "universal health care" and makes "helping the poor" a priority. In fact, Campbell and the NCC apparently believe that the United States -- not Fidel Castro -- bears primary responsibility for the economic hardships the Cuban people endure. On a recent trip to Cuba, Campbell spoke to a cheering crowd of 100,000 in Havana's Plaza of the Revolution, sharing the stage with Fidel himself. Condemning the American embargo of Cuba, which she has called "inhuman bondage," she implored the crowd's "forgiveness" for "the suffering that has come to you by the actions of the United States." Campbell did not mention that Castro could end the embargo in a moment by instituting democratic government. Nor did she acknowledge that the Cuban people's poverty is, in good measure, the inevitable result of the sort of brutal and inefficient state controlled economic system that has left communist nations in shambles around the globe. Campbell seems breezily untroubled by Cuba's lack of religious freedom. Indeed, she has declared her belief that Cuba "does allow people to express their faith freely." Sadly, the truth is very different. Though Castro has recently eased some restrictions on religious practice, it remains illegal in Cuba to proselytize publicly. Christian schools are prohibited; church leaders are monitored, and sometimes interrogated and threatened with arrest. Moreover, the government routinely denies permits for new church construction, restricts repairs to existing churches, and threatens churches with seizure of their property. Since the 1960s, over 1 million ordinary Cubans have fled the repression of Castro's totalitarian regime. Their fear has been so great, and their thirst for freedom and opportunity so desperate, that -- like Elian's mother -- they have risked their lives on leaky boats for a chance to reach the United States. The NCC professes great sympathy for Elian's father and grandmothers, who remain in Cuba. But where is its empathy and moral indignation for the victims of repression who have risked all to leave? It's not surprising that the NCC has cozied up to the Castro regime. Though founded 50 years ago to promote Christian unity, in recent decades the NCC has devoted the lion's share of its energy to left-wing political activism. Not long ago, for example, Campbell announced "a litmus test for the faith community." Belief that Jesus is the savior? No, support for the Kyoto Protocol a heavy-handed international regulatory scheme, designed to curb global warming. Predictably, on the domestic front, the NCC supports government run health care, affirmative action and bilingual education. Just as predictably, it opposes religious school vouchers and American sanctions on Iraq and refuses to condemn Communist North Korea's appalling human rights record. The Council of Churches is paying a price for this increasing divergence from its historic mission. Recently, the Christian Century, a Liberal Protestant magazine, marked the organization's 50th anniversary with a cover depicting the NCC's New York City headquarters about to tumble into the Hudson River. Today, fewer than one in three American churchgoers belongs to a denomination that is a member of the NCC. The Catholic Church has never belonged, nor have evangelical Protestant churches. The mainline Protestant denominations that support the NCC -- among them United Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians -- have dwindled markedly in recent years. Even these churches are beginning to question the NCC's relevance. In October the Methodist Church, the NCC's largest council member, suspended contributions to the organization's central operating fund. The reason? "Questions related to past and future fiscal policies and management." Recently, the NCC hired the Pappas Consulting Group of Greenwich, Conn., to overcome what Pappas has described as years of financial and administrative chaos. Already short on cash reserves, the council is now scrambling to cover a $3.2 million operating debt for 1999. It seems that the NCC -- so ready to lecture others on how to run the world -- cannot keep its own affairs in order. Right-wing Christian organizations like the Christian Coalition are constantly called to task for mixing politics with religion. But left-wing organizations like the NCC are rarely subjected to scrutiny. Few news stories have mentioned the National Council of Churches' long record of pro-Castro activism. Unfortunately, the NCC's abandonment of its historic mission, and its metamorphosis into a partisan political action group, have not advanced the cause of ecumenism, but further divided the church. -- Katherine Kersten is a director of the Center of the American Experiment in Minneapolis. |