by Angelica Paredes Lopez

NEW YORK, USA.- Members of the United States National Council of Churches met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

During the meeting, the President recognized the long tradition of friendship between the two peoples, and thanked the solidarity of the National Council of Churches reflected in numerous and complex moments.

In that sense, he recalled the actions in favor of the lifting of the blockade, the efforts to achieve the return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba and the fight for the liberation of the Cuban Five.

In the fraternal meeting held in the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations, Diaz-Canel highlighted the links between the churches of the two countries.

He underlined that restrictions on travels to Cuba limit the exchange between the religious denominations of both countries and the links of thousands of their members to their families in the Cuban territory.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Reverend Joan Brown Campbell told to the Cuban press her impressions of a President who touched her heart.

Reverend Campbell said the meeting was formidable, I felt impressed, and he has a sense of care of the Cuban people.

The religious leader added that those of us who have worked for a long time on this issue are very impressed that he considers important the continuation of our emphasis on these issues. Our country is the obstacle, not Cuba.

The Council of Churches of Cuba and the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States have repeatedly ratified the commitment to continue working for peace, justice and good relations between the two nations.

The meeting with the Cuban President marks an important moment for American religious leaders. An overwhelming majority supports relations between the two countries from the USA, in the hope that sooner or later the path of normalization of bilateral links will be taken again.