Santo Domingo's First Festival of Religious Freedom
Draws Thousands

04 May 2009, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic... [Barry W. Bussey]

Over 13,000 people filled Santo Domingo’s arena on Saturday May 2, to celebrate religious freedom.  It was the first Festival of Religious Freedom held in the Inter-America region.  The Festival capped of the region’s meeting of the International Religious Liberty Association.  Delegates from 13 countries met in the Dominican Republic’s capital April 28-30 where they heard from religious liberty scholars and activists on the historical and current trends of religious freedom in Latin America.
Exquisitely choreographed - the Festival was peppered with Biblical drama and music highlighting the divine call to free people from religious oppression. 
Stories of Moses, Jesus with His disciples, and the leaders of the Reformation overcoming persecution were convincingly presented by Club de Conquistadores de Higüey with appropriate audio and visual effects – including a spontaneous “pillar” of real fire that electrified everyone’s attention.  (No word on whether the local fire officials were standing at bay).  Hundreds of young people were employed to stage the event.
 Club Conquistadores La Romana performed a march on the arena floor that morphed into various shapes symbolic of the Christian faith including the cross.  Their precision march was appreciated by those with a bird’s eye view of the stadium floor.  The ease with which they fell in line spoke to the incredible investment in preparation.
Pastor Josias de Trinidad moved the audience with his powerful expression on the piano playing historical songs of faith.  Obviously satisfying his listeners as they gave him a thunderous applause.  He demurred - instead raising his hand high to signify that such recognition belonged only to His Lord.  Music also came from a number of choirs, bands, and other soloists including Wander Bello, Maribel Soto, Fanny Arcena, and José Gómez. 
The event organizers, Pastors Roberto Herrera, L. M. Acevedo, Lic. Javier, and lawyer Miguel Núñez are credited with putting together the team who put produced a no-holds barred presentation.  Dr. Eugene Hsu, Dr. John Graz, Barry Bussey of the General Conference and Lincoln Steed, Editor of Liberty Magazine, were also in attendance.  Dr. Graz congratulated the Dominican Republic on its high standing amongst those countries in the world that provide its citizens with religious freedom.
Earlier in the week the delegates to the IRLA Inter-America meeting heard from religious liberty scholars, and representatives from a number of faith communities on the historical and current trends of religious freedom in Latin America.  A consistent theme throughout the presentations was the recognition that religious freedom not only includes the right to practice ones faith but to be treated equally with the majority religion in the respective country.  Examples were given of some Latin America countries that authorized only the majority religion’s clergy to perform marriages.
Professor Rosa Maria Martínez de Codes opened the meeting with a recognition that government must reflect the changing reality in society.  Latin America is very different from 50 years ago when not every religion was accepted.  Today there is a greater plurality that requires a change in views.  The fact that the Roman Catholic Church enjoys privileges she noted, “doesn’t mean the other religions should not be so recognized.”  She gave the example of Spain that took over 10 years of negotiation to arrive at a comprehensive agreement of recognition for other religious communities.
“Catholic preachers said I belonged to the devil because I was evangelical,” said Pastor Braulio Portes, President of the Christianization Church in the country.  He then noted that when he was a teenager he was told, “… the Catholics were of the devil.  I was confused.”  As the mainly Adventist audience chuckled he went on, “Adventists don’t laugh – you were included with the devil too.”
Portes was part of a panel discussion with Rabi Oisiki Ghiti of the Jewish Community, Rev. Francisco Javier Colino, professor of the Major Jesuit Seminar,  and Obispo Cesar Holguin Kourry a clergy of the Episcopal Church.  All noted the changes in understanding toward religious freedom in Latin America in the current context.
 “The human being is the foundation of our society with rights that nobody can destroy,” Rev. Colino, of the Roman Catholic Church, said to the delegates, “We need to allow the churches to work with liberty and freedom to share the true liberty God offers to men -to seek truth without pressure and violence.  Religious Institutions need to help society.  Religious liberty is our human right government cannot change its position on human rights.  And if privileges are given to one religion we must have rights to everyone.”   
Colino called upon everyone to work together in protecting religious liberty.  However everyone is guilty he noted in not doing more.  “As religious leaders we need to respect the rights of everyone….  We need to be united and raise voices together to every creature in every land to seek whatever religion they like.  We can gather together with Jesus.  Peace is the greatest thing we have.  Jesus is with us and in us – He also faced difficulty when he was with us.  We are here because we need to express love – first to God – a great privilege to love the lord – and second to love the other people.  Finally we have to love ourselves because if we love ourselves we lover other people and we love the Lord.”
Dr. Scot E. Isaacson and Dr. Patrick Thurston provided the delegates with a historical review of the experience of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Latin America.  A humble missionary beginning in the 1850s to being a major religious movement in the region today has a history of trial and perseverance against religious discrimination and persecution. 
Dr. Israel Leito, President of the Inter-American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, reminded the delegates that there is still a ways to go in the region to protect religious freedom.  He suggested that there is “intolerance without boundaries.”  “In most of our countries they recognize just one church.”  He bemoaned the fact that in some situations the government says where a church may be built – “In other countries the church building has to be smaller than the main church.”  “To receive tolerance we must be tolerant and defend the right of everyone to praise the Lord as they want.  Religious liberty requires respect to government officials.”  “We need to support the person suffering for his religion,” Leito concluded, “it might be happening to him today but to me tomorrow.”

“It is a great accomplishment,” Dr. Graz notes, “for the Dominican Republic to have hosted this event.  They have much to be proud of.  The congress was very good and on Saturday the Festival fabulous. The program was so good that 4 hours were like one.”