News September 2008

Mexico :  First Religious Freedom Festival Tour

Max Oviedo Calles, PARL Director of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, organized the first Religious Liberty Festival Tour in Mexico on August 19 to 23, 2008.  Seventh-day Adventist churches in the cities of Cardenas , Oaxaca , Cuautla , Veracruz , and Catemaco hosted the programs.  According to Roberto Herrera, Inter-American Director of Religious Freedom, “The tour was very successful.  Churches were full.  Religious Affairs Directors from the state and city government attended the meetings and commended Adventists for defending religious freedom.” 

During the three-hour programs, musicians and singers brought their support to religious freedom.  “Mexico has a good record in religious freedom,” said Dr Graz, “but there are some places where religious minorities are persecuted.”  A group of 30 people attended the festival in Oaxaca .  They represented 24 families expelled from the Estancia Morales village in 2005.  They were persecuted because, as Adventists, they did not want to participate in the annual religious festival in honor of a saint.  They were excluded from healthcare in the village clinic, their running water was cut off, and they were fined by the local police.

Representatives of the state government said that this situation will be studied carefully in cooperation with Religious Liberty Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church .

The purpose of the Festival of Religious Freedom Tour was to publicly thank God and the country for religious freedom.  In each meeting representatives of churches and religious organizations participated in the program.  According to Pastor Max Oviedo Calles, this tour is a first step toward a large public festival which will be held next year.

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