Today the Ministry of Religious Affairs held a retreat with church leaders at the Biltmore Plaza. Typically, they say church and state shouldn't mix but they did it today. In his speech to the leaders, Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Religious Affairs said laid out the freedoms that Belizeans can embrace with religion:
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Religious Affairs
"In section 11, talking about protection of the freedom of conscience, section 1 of, part 1 of section 11. Except with his own consent, a person shall not be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of conscience, including freedom of thought and of religion, freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and both in public and in private to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice, and observance. And it goes on along those lines in that section. And I think that in essence, we have a foundation for all of us with respect to our work in the religious community, our work in the public sphere, our work in the private sphere. There's a foundation that has been set that is to guide us, especially in terms of nationhood."
And President of NEAB Santie Valencia says this is something they have prayed for.
Santie Valencia, President - NEAB
"It doesn't matter your denomination, the doctrinal differences, because that is there. But we engage and commit to dialogue, and to agree to disagree on certain issues, because we will never agree on every issue. And I trust, and hope, and been praying, that this kind of meeting as we come together, will be productive for all. Not for my denomination or your denomination or organization, but for the entire nation of Belize. That it will be a dialogue that will bring forth the results that we all want to see in the nation, and I believe when the dust is settled, what our government wants is the best for the nation. As clergy people, how you call it? People of the cloth, pastors, leaders, we want the best for this nation."
The retreat finished this afternoon.
