LAUNCHING OF THE BRAZILIAN ROUNDTABLE

The recently convened “Roundtable for Religious Freedom” was officially launched during a ceremony held on January 27th, 2022, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The works at it were led by nationwide supervisor ambassador Alexandre Ruben Milito Gueiros. The launching ceremony was carried out in virtual connection due to the then ongoing Covid pandemics.

The ceremony was attended by nation, state and countywide authorities of the three branches of government. Rev. Chris Halverson delivered the keynote as the representative of the International Roundtable for Religious Freedom (IRF), to which this Roundtable is bound so as to make clear his acknowledgement of The Brazilian Roundtable as the representative of IRF in Brazil.

Special mention should be made on the participation of Congressman Roberto de Lucena, President of the Multi-party Parliamentary Front for Human Rights of the National Congress, who gave a brilliant speech, expressing his support for the objectives proposed by the Roundtable.

Following his address, the representatives of the Ministries of Women, Family and Human Rights, Dr. Natammy Bonissoni (General Coordinator for Human Rights Education at the MMFDH), and Foreign Affairs Minister João Lucas Quental (Director of the Department of Human Rights and Citizenship at the Brazilian MRE (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), expressed their Ministries’ support to the principles defended by the Roundtable.

Of great significance was also the supportive speech to this Roundtable pronounced by the president of the Special Commission of Evangelical and Christian Jurists of the Brazilian Bar (OAB), Bishop Abner Ferreira, who also leads The National Convention of the Assembly of God – Madureira Ministry. It is worth noting the satisfaction of all representatives with the adhesion of a Commission of the Federal Council of the OAB.

Also quite enriching to the ceremony was the speech by the distinguished Representative Damaris Moura, Coordinator of the Parliamentary Front in Defense of Religious Freedom at ALESP (São Paulo State Assembly), a pioneer in São Paulo in the defense of this theme, as well as in the fight for the protection of needy minorities, including the physically handicapped.

The representatives of important evangelical denominations manifested their support to the activities of the Roundtable. Among them were The Seventh Day Adventist Church (Pr. Hélio Carnassale), Alliance of Congregational Evangelical Churches, (Dr. Jonas Morerno) and The Brazilian Presbiterian Church represented by Rev. Roberto Brasileiro, the president of its Supreme Council.

A highlight ought to be kept on record for the participation of Dr. Sérgio Napchan and Rabbis Rubens Sternschein and Guershon Kwasnievski, representing CONIB – The Brazilian Israelite Confederation specially for appointing the date chosen for the launching of this Round Table.

Others who had the floor were the representatives of IBDR (Dr. Jean Regina), of ANAJURE (Dr. Felipe Lopes Carvalho), of The Brazilian Baptist Convention, (Dr. André Simão), of LIBERTAS (Dr. Bergson Gil Costa) and of ABLIRC (Dr. Samuel Luz).