The Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) held its 2022 Consultation in Warsaw, Poland. About 90 CEOs and key Christian leaders from over 30 countries participated in the gathering, which is normally held annually but had been postponed the past two years because of Covid restrictions.
“The primary focus of the event was on Eurasia and Central Asia,” said Brian O’Connell, Global Facilitator of the RLP, “as, amidst the challenges the church is facing in the region, we see some glimmers of hope in recent developments in places like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.” The RLP was originally to have the consultation in Kyiv, Ukraine, but shifted its location to Poland about two weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine started.
“The 2022 Warsaw consultation revealed resilience within the Religious Liberty Partnership,” said RLP Chairman Floyd Brobbel, CEO of Voice of the Martyrs Canada. “Despite a two year hiatus of our annual consultation due to the effects of a worldwide pandemic, the partnership continues to grow and collaborate on the issues that threaten religious freedom or belief. We are grateful for each member organization for their engaged commitment and to our faithful Lord who has blessed us to be a blessing.”
Program elements of the RLP Consultation included specific country overviews outlining trends in Central Asia; plenaries on gender-specific persecution and its impact on children and youth; major sessions on Ukraine; and discussions on improving religious liberty advocacy.
In one of the keynote addresses of the Consultation, Archbishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, stated, “Together we need to be strong in our advocacy; because as [Dietrich] Bonhoeffer said, we are not merely to bandage the wounds of the victims beneath the wheel of injustice; we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself!”
The Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) is a collaborative association of Christian organisations from every continent focused on religious liberty for all. The RLP seeks to work more intentionally together in addressing advocacy, research, assistance, and in raising the awareness of religious restrictions globally.
For more information about the RLP Consultation or the RLP itself, contact [email protected].