New rules impede religious travel

New rules impede religious travel

Church groups and members of the U.S. Congress vented their frustrations
over new restrictions affecting religious travel to Cuba at a meeting
Wednesday with Bush administration officials in Washington.

The meeting was in response to a March 3 bipartisan letter signed by 105
lawmakers, asking the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets
Control to explain why travel licenses for some U.S. church groups were
not being renewed.

''It was an opportunity for church leaders to express their frustrations
with the new restrictions,'' said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who
attended the meeting. He added the group ''didn't get a lot of concrete
responses'' and that the discussions would continue.

The groups were told to reapply for more restrictive licenses, which
limit the number of people who can travel and the number of trips per
year. The groups say these requirements are hard to meet.

'Sadly, people began skirting the sanctions by traveling under the guise
of `religious' activities,''' said Treasury spokeswoman Molly
Millerwise. ``Steps were taken to structure the licenses to better
preserve the integrity of legitimate religious travel.''

McGovern and four other members of Congress were joined by
representatives from seven church groups, including the Alliance of
Baptists and the United Methodist Church.

-- PABLO BACHELET
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/14109588.htm