Windows of Opportunity

By Norel Iacob, Adventist Review/ANN

“The promotion of the good reputation of the church in the world” and the focus on religious liberty as the one “undergirding all the others liberties” are the main two goals announced by Diop in a press conference held today.

Diop was introduced to the press by the former director of the department, the retiring John Graz. The new director talked about the “many windows” of opportunity the Seventh-day Adventist Church is going to use in the next five years to prove that it is not an isolated church. The church will continue to engage officials and institutions of the governments, maintain the good relationships with different denominations and religious leaders, organize events for promoting religious liberty, and live up to its mission of being a light among people, according to Diop.

Following that, Diop introduced to the press three special guests representing Adventists who hold official positions in their countries, including Floyd Morris, the president of the Senate in Jamaica; Jernalese Mwencha, of the African Union; and Bienvenido Tejano, the ambassador of the Philippines to Papua New Guinea. The three guests spoke about the impact of Adventist efforts to promote religious liberty in their countries.

During the Q & A period the present journalists asked about the absence of any prominent leaders from other churches at this GC Session. Diop considered this “circumstantial.” “It would be in contradiction to our mission,” to be otherwise, he continued, assuring that this did not represent a shift in church or policy.