A Safe, Private Place

(RNS)--When Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin offered her home as a "neutral meeting place" for Elian Gonzalez's visit with his grandmothers last month, I was delighted.

I was equally disappointed when that meeting place proved to be far from neutral ground, and I was especially disappointed when Sister Jeanne so quickly abandoned her neutral role to take a very public, partisan position--based, I would argue, on very limited information.

As general secretary of the National Council of Churches, the organization that facilitated the grandmothers' U.S. visit, it became increasingly clear to me that a neutral, safe, and private place was absolutely necessary if Elian and his grandmothers were to have a meaningful visit. From the moment their plane landed at JFK airport in New York, the grandmothers were surrounded by security and faced a persistent throng of media, with cameras thrust inches from their faces. Though they were told they would be safe from demonstrators in Miami, the streets leading to Sister Jeanne's home were congested with demonstrators yelling, "He will not go back!"

Sister Jeanne's value as a neutral mediator would have been immeasurable, but she chose instead to take sides, based on only brief impressions.

Security concerns continued to mount right up to the moment of the visit with Elian. In fact, the final delay before their visit occurred when the grandmothers were advised that a group known to hold a very strong anti-Castro position was occupying the house right next door, its balcony overlooking Sister Jeanne's house. The grandmothers delayed their arrival until the group was removed, out of very real concern for their safety and that of Elian.

Their entire experience before and during the visit with Elian heightened their sense of vulnerability and underscored the need for a safe and neutral space in which to see their grandson. Sister Jeanne said she saw fear in the grandmothers' eyes and felt coldness in their hands. No wonder.

The National Council of Churches team that hosted Elian's grandmothers spent virtually every waking hour with the grandmothers over the course of 11 days, beginning on January 20, when we arrived in Havana to pick them up, and continuing through January 30, when we saw them off at Dulles Airport in Washington for their flight home. They stayed for several nights in the home of our last general secretary. We got to know these courageous grandmothers, Raquel Rodriguez and Mariela Quintana, as individuals.

In contrast, Sister Jeanne had limited contact with the grandmothers. The grandmothers were provided gracious hospitality in her home, but Sister Jeanne herself was busy with multiple responsibilities related to the visit. Even though her value as a neutral mediator would have been immeasurable, she chose instead to take sides, based on only brief impressions.

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