Saturday October 8, 2016 was 'the first day of Religious Freedom in the French-speaking Switzerland'. It was organized by AIDLR, the International Association for the Defence of Religious Liberty and was held at the Gland Seventh-day Adventist Church, specifically at the Lignière Clinic.
The day began with a lecture given by Jean-François Mayer, director of the "Religioscope" Institute with the theme: "Religious pluralism: danger or richness? - Aspects of change in the perspectives of religious pluralism in Switzerland".
Among other speakers, we could count on Christian Willi, chief editor of "Christianity Today". In conjunction with his introductory lecture, he developed discussion points such as present dramatic situations of religious minorities in some countries of the world or religious freedom as an instrument of defense for human rights and dignity of people of all races and ethnic backgrounds.
The debate was moderated by Bernard Davy, MD, FMH in psychiatry and internal medicine. He got the audience to interact on the subject and the issue at hand.
The Religious Freedom Award was given by Mr. David Jennah, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Churches of French-speaking Switzerland, to Maurice Verfaillie, Pastor and Doctor of Religious Sciences, University of Freiburg and former Secretary-General of the International Association for Religious Freedom. His commitment was accredited by the United Nations, Council of Europe and the European Parliament, in the presence of MM. John Graz, Secretary General of the International Religious Liberty Association from 1995 to 2015.
