Sept. 6, 2010 issue
Visa denials shrink church meetings
By Alfredo Garcia Religion News ServiceWhen the Baptist World Alliance held its global conference in Hawaii in August, it was missing about 1,000 attendees from around the world.
In June, the inaugural meeting of the World Communion of Reformed Churches in Grand Rapids, Mich., was missing 74, and the Seventh-day Adventists’ General Conference in Atlanta was missing about 200.
The three church groups said foreign delegates’ visas were denied by U.S. officials, meaning some nations lacked representation at the global assemblies that occur only once every several years.
“I was deeply saddened” by the visa problems, said Clifton Kirkpatrick, the former president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, which merged with another group in Grand Rapids to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
“I don’t think you hear of government events or corporate events that have this percentage of people denied visas.”
A lot of it had to do with mon- ey, he believes. “The criteria [for securing visas] are so skewed to the financial status of people involved,” he said.
Church officials say they fully complied with State Department rules on international visas for visiting delegates — particularly providing evidence visitors would return to their country of origin once the meetings ended.
Many of the rejected visas came from poverty-stricken areas of the world.
Church leaders weren’t quiet about their anger.
“I am outraged that United States consulates have refused access to an international ecumenical gathering because they feared terrorism and illegal immigration,” said Susan Davies of the United Church of Christ.
Visa problems could prompt some leaders to rethink holding future conferences in the U.S.
“We are getting into a position where it’s difficult to host major international ecumenical events in the U.S. with integrity,” Kirkpatrick said.
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