About Us

John Graz, Director
Public Affairs and Religious Liberty

Dr. John Graz, a citizen of both Switzerland and France, was born at Thonon-les-bains, France. His father was Swiss, and his family has lived in Switzerland for centuries. He was elected Secretary General of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) in 1995, and served as liaison to the United Nations at Geneva.

John Graz studied theology, history, and the sociology of religion, obtaining his Master's Degree at the University of Montpellier, and his Doctorate from the Sorbonne University in Paris.

He began his career as a pastor for students in Montpellier, France and then worked in Paris as a church Communication Director for more than 16 years. He has produced radio and television programs, and has written several books which have been translated into more than ten languages. John Graz was also director of an international youth organization for ten years, a guest speaker for many international congresses, and has organized major international meetings in Europe and throughout the world. He organized the Fourth IRLA World Congress on Religious Liberty in Rio de Janeiro in 1997, the Fifth IRLA World Congress in Manila in 2002, and is planning the sixth one for Cape Town in 2007. Graz organized and initiated the annual IRLA meetings of experts for religious freedom and the Festival of Religious Freedom which has been held in may capital cities in the world.

Since the beginning of his career Dr. Graz has been involved in the promotion and defense of religious freedom. He was public relations director for the Association Internationale pour la Défense de la Liberté Religieuse for ten years, in Europe.

John Graz grew up in a family that accepted religious diversity. His father was Protestant, but was not a churchgoer; his mother was Catholic; one of his aunts was an Evangelical; and the other was a Seventh-day Adventist. All lived in good harmony and mutual respect. For the Graz family, freedom has great value. All his mother's brothers and sisters joined the Allies during World War II. An uncle was killed during the war, and his grandfather died in the Dachau concentration camp for having helped Jews and the French resistance.

In July 1995, Dr. Graz was elected director of the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and United Nations liaison. He is a member of the John Weidner Foundation's Board, and in 2002 was elected Secretary General of the Conference of Secretaries of the World Christian Communions which represents two billion Christians. He is also a member of the Board of the International Academy of Religious Freedom. He has been director for External Relations for the International Center on Government and Religion at Andrews University.

John Graz is married to Medina Chitty Graz, and they have three sons who currently live in Switzerland.