Politics

Baptists And Catholics Hail Obama’s Cuba Decision

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Two influential religious organizations have publicly praised President Barack Obama’s executive decision to ease longstanding sanctions against Cuba and expand relations with the Communist Caribbean country.

Both the Baptist World Alliance, a global alliance of Baptist churches and groups, and the Catholic League, an American civil rights and advocacy organization, issued statements late this week praising the official thaw between the United States and Cuba.

The 42 million member-strong Baptist World Alliance had its annual meeting in 2000 in Havana and has perennially condemned the lack of trade and diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba because of “the pain and suffering endured by innocent persons.”

“The lifting of the embargo will improve living conditions for Cubans and provide greater opportunities for commerce, education, and travel,” the group said last year.

“I enthusiastically welcome the decision to begin to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations,” said Neville Callam, Baptist World Alliance general secretary, in a press release obtained this week by The Daily Caller.

“The people of Cuba, including the large Christian community there, stand to benefit from this development that represents a contribution to human flourishing.”

Meanwhile, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League also offered praise for Obama’s decision.

“Kudos also to Pope Francis for working to break the stalemate between the United States and Cuba,” Donohue declared in a press release. “While a lot of foolish things have been said by those on both sides of this issue, the fact is that the only losers in this gambit are the Communists in Cuba.”

After noting that Pope John Paul II visited Cuba in 1998 and helped advance the cause of religious freedom for Cuba’s people, Donohue predicted that the forces of free trade will ultimately undermine Cuba’s authoritarian regime.

“Economic liberty does not guarantee political liberty, but it does work to undermine the forces of repression,” he said. “More important than markets is the exchange of ideas that this rapprochement will bring. And no idea is more threatening to a dictatorship than liberty.”

The Baptist World Alliance cites Cuba as among the Caribbean countries where Christianity is growing most rapidly.

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