Principles of religious liberty must be understood and embraced not only by Romania's political leaders, but by members of the general public as well, says Viorel Dima, key organizer of an unprecedented series of public meetings and seminars held October
Principles of religious liberty must be understood and embraced not only by Romania’s political leaders, but by members of the general public as well, says Viorel Dima, key organizer of an unprecedented series of public meetings and seminars held October 9 to 18 throughout Romania.
Hundreds of people representing a broad cross-section of Romanian society attended the public rallies and training events, which were organized by the National Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty, known as the “Conscience and Liberty Association.”
Laws alone are not capable of securing religious liberty in a nation, explains Dima, secretary-general of the Conscience and Liberty Association and public affairs director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania. “It is necessary that each citizen feel his or her own responsibility in protecting human rights. In a democratic society it is not right that the responsibility should rest only on the country’s public opinion leaders or religious leaders.”
Seminars were held in Calarasi, Satu Mare, Craiova, Brasov, Braila, Botosani, and Sighet, with speakers focusing on “Religious Liberty in Romania and European Integration.” As a candidate for membership in the European Union, Romania has pledged to harmonize its legislation with EU human rights legislation, explains Dima. It is a process that involves review of current laws and consideration of future legislation.
Those participating in these seminars included regional political figures, mayors, departmental directors from local authorities, army and police officers, representatives of local religious groups, National Guard officers, lawyers, university professors, and media representatives.
Mitchell Tyner, associate general counsel for the Adventist world church and speaker at a number of the events, says the series was important for raising the profile of the Adventist Church. “It allowed religious and government leaders to see that the Adventist Church is at the forefront in understanding and addressing critical religious freedom issues in Romania,” he says.
On October 16, more than 300 people attended a community-wide meeting on religious liberty held at the Cultural House of the Trade Unions. John Graz, secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association, addressed the crowd, giving an overview of the state of religious liberty around the world. Graz, who is also public affairs and religious liberty director for the Adventist world church, said it is vital to “fight religious extremism, no matter if it is promoted by individuals or groups from the minority or majority religious faiths.”
Maurice Verfaillie, general secretary of the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty, based in Berne, Switzerland, also spoke at the meeting, explaining that countries wanting to join the European Union must bring their religious rights laws in line with European standards. “Romania has made many advances in this field,” he said. “But there is still something left to do. I am glad the Romanian government shows a political will to improve the situation regarding human rights observance in Romania.”
The Conscience and Liberty Association also ran a series of education sessions, October 12 to 15, at Stupini, Brasov, training more than 70 local leaders to work as representatives of the association throughout the region.
