How did the NCC become involved
in the Elian Gonzalez case?
How was the grandmothers
trip paid for?
How has the NCC worked with the Cuban Council of Churches in the past?
What role did the Rev. Dr. Joan
Brown Campbell play in the Gonzalez case?
Did the NCC pay for the attorney
who represented Juan Miguel Gonzalez?
Why was it necessary to set up a
fund?
Has any part of church offerings gone into the fund?
Did the NCC pay for any other expenses related to Juan Miguel's
stay in the United States?
What programs does the NCC support with its funds?
In addition to helping asylum
seekers, how do you approach human rights issues?
What was the NCCs reaction when it learned Elian was on his way home to Cuba?
How did the NCC
become involved in the Elian Gonzalez case?
In early December 1999, the NCC received an urgent request from our
Christian partner in Cuba, the Cuban Council of Churches, to work with them to obtain the
release and return of Elian to his father, grandmothers and extended family in Cuba. We
agreed that Elian belonged with his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, given that he is a fit
parent.
Alarmed that the United States was not returning the boy quickly and
automatically to his father and that a fundamentally humanitarian concern was becoming
increasingly politicized, the two Councils proposed that they serve as intermediaries in
the physical return of Elian to his father. The Cuban government agreed to the plan and
U.S. officials quietly expressed interest.
However, interest was followed only by silence. Wanting to put additional pressure for
Elians return, and concerned that Elians father and extended family in
Cardenas had few advocates in the United States who had actually met them, the Cuban
Council of Churches asked the NCC to visit. In
response, a three-member NCC team made such a visit January 2-5. The NCCs new
general secretary, the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, who had taken office one day before the
trip, requested that his immediate predecessor, the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, lead the
NCC team to Cuba on his behalf.
Members of the team visited with Elians father, grandmothers,
great grandmother and other members of his extended family. Over the course of three days,
they spent eight hours with the family in settings that included Juan Miguels home,
where Elian stayed; Elians school, and a local ecumenical center. Dr. Campbell
shared her impressions with both U.S. and Cuban government officials and with the public,
characterizing the family as "loving and caring."
As the NCC team returned to the United States, the INS announced its
ruling that Elian should be returned to his father in Cuba by January 14. But further
delays prompted the two councils to support a visit of Elians grandmothers, Raquel
Rodriguez and Mariela Quintana, to the United States in mid-January.
While the grandmothers were disappointed in their hope to take Elian
home with them, they did accomplish other goals of their Jan. 20-30 mission. They pressed
their case with Attorney General Janet Reno and INS Commissioner Doris Meissner in a Jan.
22 meeting in Washington, D.C. They spoke about their love for Elian to Democratic and
Republican congressional representatives and to the American public. Andafter days
of negotiations involving the INS and Elians Miami relativesthey saw their
grandson in the Miami home of Sr. Jeanne OLaughlin, president of Barry University,
who had pledged to provide a neutral place for a supervised visit.
The Council provided pastoral presence and support for the
grandmothers throughout their visit and continued to press for Elian's reunion with his
father after the grandmothers returned to Cuba.
The cost to the NCC of the entire effort was modest, and it now
appears that voluntary contributions designated for this purpose have actually exceeded
costs. As promised to donors, the surplus
will go to assist children and their families in Cuba through the NCCs program of
humanitarian assistance.
How was the
grandmothers trip paid for?
All but one flight (including domestic and international flights) was
paid for by private donations. The Jan. 22 round trip flight (New York-Washington-New
York) was paid for by the NCC at a cost comparable to commercial air tickets ($3,100 for
seven passengers). The grandmothers stayed in a private residence in New York City, as did
the Rev. Oden Marichal, then president of the Cuban Council of Churches, who accompanied
them. The Cuban Interests Section took on responsibility for the grandmothers
schedule beginning with their return on January 26 from Miami to Washington, D.C., and
paid for their travel-related expenses other than air fare for that portion of the
trip.
How has the NCC
worked with the Cuban Council of Churches in the past?
The council-to-council partnership in the Elian case was
characteristic of our work with ecumenical councils and other church bodies in more than
80 countries around the world. As people who share a common faith that crosses national
boundaries, we and our partners strive to be accountable to each other. That means that
the NCC does not make unilateral decisions that affect partners in other countries. On the
contrary, we consult with our partners on issues they face and ask how they would like us
to be involved. Our partners are on the ground; they know their own churches and their own
country. They also have to live with the
consequences of what the NCC does in the name of the churches. Therefore, we take their
counsel seriously before acting or speaking on issues that have an impact on them.
The NCC has a long relationship with the Cuban Council that predates
the revolution in Cuba. We have worked to maintain contacts with Christians there through
difficult days and through many changes as the relationship between church and state
evolves in Cuba. We rejoiced with our Cuban partners when Christmas was openly observed in
Cuba in 1997. We celebrated with them when, in June 1999, the Cuban Council and its member
Protestant churches were able to hold a month-long national evangelical festival that was
open to the public. And we have supported the Cuban Council with humanitarian aid when in
recent years churches in Cuba were granted a new role in health care, elder care and other
social services.
When NCC delegations have visited Cuba to see the projects we
support, they have been dismayed by the suffering of the Cuban people that is a result of
a four-decade-long embargo against Cuba an embargo harsher than sanctions placed on
Libya or Iraq. Our response has been three-fold. We have pressed for a normalization of
U.S.-Cuba relations that would ease human need in Cuba and that would allow for the
reunification of Cuban families. We have sent humanitarian aid shipments to Cuba since
1992, meeting stringent U.S. licensing requirements to send 325 tons of food, medicine,
medical equipment, school supplies and other desperately needed goods. And we have prayed
with and for the people of Cuba. We hope that our efforts will hasten the day when no
Cuban child and no Cuban family faces the horror that Elian Gonzalez experienced on his
dangerous journey from Cuba to the U.S.
What role did the
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell play in the Gonzalez case?
Dr. Campbell maintained the NCCs long-time relations with the
Cuban Council of Churches during her service as the National Council of Churches
General Secretary, from 1991 until Dec. 31, 1999. In
December 1999, she led in the NCCs behind-the-scene collaboration with the Cuban
Council of Churches to seek ways to ease Elians return home. At Dr. Edgars request, she represented the
NCC on the Jan. 2-5, 2000, visit to Elians family in Cardenas and helped host
Elians grandmothers when they visited the United States in mid-January.
While Dr. Campbell has had no official NCC role since then and is no
longer a spokesperson for the National Council of Churches, she continued to play an
active role in this case as an advisor to Juan Miguel and friend of the family.
Did the NCC pay
for the attorney who represented Juan Miguel Gonzalez?
The NCC did not pay for the attorney, Mr. Gregory B. Craig, nor are
we currently accepting donations for this purpose. For
several weeks and on an interim basis, the NCC provided administrative support for a legal
fund for Juan Miguel Gonzalez that was initiated by a board within the United Methodist
Church, one of our member communions. In line with our support for the return of Elian to
his father, we were pleased to do so.
The Executive Committee of the United Methodist General Board of
Church and Society created a voluntary fund in March in order to assure legal
representation for Juan Miguel. The Rev. Dr. Thom White Wolf Fassett, the general
secretary of the Board, subsequently asked the NCC to assist by administering the fund. We
did so between April 19 and May 10. Since then the NCC has referred potential contributors
directly to Mr. Craig.
Why was it
necessary to set up a fund?
The United Methodist General Board of Church and Society took this
action so that Juan Miguel could receive equal treatment under the law in the United
States, which is one of the keys to the success of a democratic system of government.
While Elians Miami relatives have enjoyed the services of an extensive team of
lawyers, Juan Miguel did not have representation until Mr. Craigs services were
secured in late March. Further, he and other Cuban citizens are prevented from hiring
lawyers in the United States because of the broken relationships between the United States
and Cuba. Therefore, legal counsel had to be provided for Juan Miguel in order for him to
receive equal treatment in U.S. courts. To that end, The United Methodist Board of Church
and Society set up the fund and its general secretary participated in negotiations to
secure the services of Greg Craig of the Williams and Connolly law firm. Contributions to
the fund were not tax deductible. If you have questions about the fund not answered here,
please direct them to the United Methodist Board of Church and Society at
202-488-5600.
Has any part of
church offerings gone into the fund?
Absolutely not. The fund was set up to receive voluntary
contributions from donors who gave specifically to help secure competent legal counsel for
Juan Miguel. No NCC monies have gone into this fund and the NCC has not actively solicited
funds for this purpose. Neither has any money from United Methodist budgets been used for
the fund for Juan Miguel. Only donations designated for Juan Miguels legal expenses
went into this special fund.
Did the NCC pay
for any other expenses related to Juan Miguel's stay in the United States?
No, we did not pay for the travel or any other expenses in connection
with his stay in the United States or that of his wife and infant son. Nor did we pay for
the visit of Cuban school children and others who came to visit the Gonzalez family.
Contrary to rumor and some media reports, the National Council of
Churches did not charter the aircraft took Elian Gonzalez, his family and others in their
party to Cuba. While we are delighted that Elian and his family are home, we had no
involvement in the travel arrangements for their return.
What programs
does the NCC support with its funds?
Our concern for Elian grows out of our commitment to the well-being
of all children and their families. Most of the NCCs consolidated budget is spent on
humanitarian work, including disaster relief, community development and refugee
assistance. Right now we are at work helping
our ecumenical and interfaith partners relieve suffering due to drought in Ethiopia, Kenya
and Afghanistan; flooding in Mozambique, Madagascar and other parts of southern Africa;
violence between ethnic and religious groups in Indonesias Maluku (Molucca) Islands,
and summer storms in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Other funds are spent on
programs of Bible translation and utilization, ministries in Christian education, mission
education and much more. For more information on the programs that our 35 Protestant and
Orthodox member church bodies carry out together through the NCC, visit the NCCs Web
site: www.ncccusa.org.
Please note that the NCC is a nonpartisan organization that helps
people in need regardless of their race, gender, religion, political affiliation and/or
the political system under which they happen to live. The work of the NCC and its units
grows out of our understanding of the biblical message of Gods love for all persons
and all creation. We live out that message in our work. For example, we provide
humanitarian aid such as medicine, medical equipment and food to Cuba through the churches
in that country. We also help to resettle some 2,000 Cuban refugees a year in U.S.
communities.
The NCC shared the grandmothers anguish and concern about
legislative efforts in Congress, which we contended served to further delay Elians
return to his father. Elians paternal grandmother, Mariela Quintana, on January 21,
said, "Nobody outside has the right to make him (Elian) an American citizen. He was
born in Cuba, lives in Cuba, hes a Cuban. No one, even Congress or the President,
can change his status."
The Council, its member communions and their congregations help to
resettle thousands of uprooted people in U.S. communities every year. For example, in
1999, we assisted more than 6,700 newcomers representing more than 30 nationalities. In
general, about 80 percent of these cases are ones in which families are reunified. We are
concerned for all families everywhere who are separated by conflicts between governments
and we work for their reunification in many ways.
In recent years, our U.S. resettlement caseload has included
approximately 2,000 Cubans annually. We are authorized to assist those Cubans who come to
us through the U.S. Department of State Resettlement Program or the Department of Justice
Cuban/Haitian Program. Decisions about who will be accepted for resettlement in the United
States are made by the U.S. government, not by the NCC. Decisions about who will receive
exit permits from Cuba are made by the Cuban government, not the NCC. Working within
legitimate U.S. government programs, the Council makes great efforts to assist Cuban
refugees and has done so for decades. No doubt there are people in the Cuban American
community who oppose our stand on the Elian Gonzalez case who were themselves assisted by
the Council.
While we must abide by the decisions of government in our
resettlement work, we are advocates for a more humane U.S. immigration policy. As a
U.S-based organization, we participate in legislative discussions and public forums to
carry the message of welcome and refugee protection to Congress and others.
The NCC would never work to repatriate a child who would face
persecution on his or her return. In fact as part of our work for refugees that is
described above, we work on a daily basis to protect asylum seekers who arrive in the
U.S., including those from Cuba. We provide legal assistance and other help to persons who
have fled their homelands because they have been persecuted or have grounds to fear
persecution. In the Gonzalez case, it is clear that Elian will not face persecution in
Cuba.
In addition to
helping asylum seekers, how do you approach human rights issues?
The National Council of Churches actively promotes the United
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, in its role as a faith-based NGO,
it is committed to working for the human rights of all persons. When asked to act on a
particular case of human rights violations, the Council takes the course that it believes
will be most effective. In some cases, this means a public resolution from our highest
policy making body. Over the years, the NCCs General Assembly and its predecessor
bodies have adopted over 130 resolutions denouncing human rights violations in many
countries. Generally, these resolutions include a provision that urges the U.S. government
to take action as well. In other cases, a low-profile effort can be more productive. The
NCC has worked behind the scenes in countless situations to press the case of prisoners of
conscience, of groups whose religious freedoms have been infringed and others whose human
rights have been violated. Because of the sensitive nature of this work, many NCC
successes in redressing human rights violations must go unreported.
Do you often
play a role in international custody cases?
No, this was a rare case, in which we received a special request from
a partner ecumenical council.
What was the
NCCs reaction when it learned Elian was on his way home to Cuba?
The Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, the NCCs General Secretary, issued the
following statement on June 28, 2000:
We are delighted that Elian Gonzalez is on his way home at last, in
the company of his loving father. The courts of our land have done the right thing in
saying that Juan Miguel Gonzalez is the only one entitled to speak for his son. We regret
that it has taken so long for there to be a resolution that will enable the boy and his
family to be reunited in their own home.
The National Council of Churches became involved in the plight of
this child at the request of the Cuban Council of Churches. The primary concerns of our
churches were family bonds and positive human values and our goal was to provide a
non-governmental means of reuniting a small child with his family. That was not to be.
We pray that this little child now will have time, in familiar
surroundings, to get on with his life, to come to terms with the loss of his mother, and
to reconnect with friends and family following these many months of forced
separation.
The National Council of Churches hopes that a positive aspect of the
struggle over this little childs future will be to make dialogue possible between
the United States and Cuba. There also is a wider consideration. Many Americans are in the
same situation as Juan Miguel Gonzalez. Their children are withheld from them in other
countries and they want them to come home. May the return of Elian Gonzalez to his father
be a sign of hope for these other families.
We pray for a happy life for Elian Gonzalez in the warm embrace of
his family. And we pray that all who are separated by these many decades of animosity
between our country and Cuba may find a renewed relationship.
As it says in the Bible, a little child will lead us.