More than 120 faith leaders, scholars, specialists and other institutional representatives from several countries gathered in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, May 6-9, for the third Caribbean Symposium on Religious Freedom.
Participants discussed a variety of topics related to religious freedom, including religious freedom as a tool for peacebuilding, the relationship between state and religion, human dignity as a basis for equality, education in religious diversity and the role of religion in reducing conflict, the Church’s Spanish-language Newsroom reported on May 12.
Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Church’s Caribbean Area presidency, was a featured speaker at the symposium.
“We share values that bring us together and allow us to work together in harmony,” he said. “We should continue collaborating in areas of common interest within a framework of mutual respect and unity.”
The symposium was organized by the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU Law, the Interreligious Forum of the Americas, the Pontifical Catholic University Mother and Teacher, the Executive Branch Liaison Office with the Christian Community of the Dominican Republic, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The symposium featured plenary sessions, panel discussions and dialogue focused on strengthening the rule of law, interreligious harmony, legislation on religious freedom, and the impact of beliefs on social coexistence.
The gathering included representatives from Argentina, Barbados, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
Among those who attended were Gary B. Doxey, associate director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU Law; Octavio Lo Prete, president of the Latin American Consortium for Religious Freedom in Argentina; Emerson Boyce, ambassador for Strategic Partnerships of the Caribbean Evangelical Association in Trinidad and Tobago; Stacey Mitchell, chairperson of the Jamaica Council for Interfaith Fellowship; Suleiman Bulbulia, chaplain at the University of the West Indies in Barbados; Kirtie Algoe, associate professor at Anton de Kom University in Suriname; and Neil Zahir Bacchus, secretary of interreligious organizations in Guyana.
The symposium concluded with a joint reflection session that centered on exchanging experiences and strengthening interreligious dialogue throughout the region.
