Alliance of Baptists to appeal fine for Cuban travel
By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service
WASHINGTON - The Alliance of Baptists plans to appeal a Treasury Department notice alleging that churches affiliated with the group violated rules regarding travel to Cuba and should be fined $34,000.
The notice, dated July 5, said itineraries of five churches that used the alliance's travel license "did not reflect a program of full-time religious activity."
Treasury Department officials accused workers from at least one church of using their license for "sightseeing and beach time," but officials from the moderate Baptist group said their activities were legitimate.
It comes at a time when the Bush administration has been tightening sanctions against Cuba, including blocking humanitarian aid from reaching the Cuban Council of Churches.
Stan Hastey, executive director of the Washington-based alliance, said a majority of the group's board members have asked him to send a written response appealing the notice from the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Hastey said the "prepenalty notice" arose from an investigation of churches that traveled to Cuba between 2003 and 2005.
"We're told that they engaged in substantial tourist activities and that's simply not the case," he said. "They engaged, by any reasonable definition, in programs of full-time religious activity."
He said the participating churches met with partner churches in Cuba, attending worship services and visiting homes in nearby communities. The alliance intends to file its written appeal by early September.
The alliance, which is affiliated with 117 U.S. churches, is among religious organizations that have been affected by recent regulation changes by the Treasury office and no longer have a license to travel to Cuba.
Its previous license was suspended in 2005 when that office determined that one of the five churches spent time earlier that year on "sightseeing and beach time." Hastey said the purpose of a stay at a beach resort with ties to a religious group was to visit a church, not go to the beach.
When asked for details about the notice received by the alliance, Treasury Department spokeswoman Molly Millerwise said it does not "comment on individual cases." She was not aware of religious groups that previously had been fined.
