A meeting between Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, is taking place at the Palace of Independence. This was reported by Lukashenka’s press service.
“Thank you for finding the time, despite such distances, to come to us and discuss not only issues of interfaith communication, but also matters of interstate relations. Mr. Graham, you know a little about Belarus, you have visited here. You have visited Russia more than once. Therefore, you know the direction in which the situation and circumstances are developing. I am sure you know that 25 religious denominations live, coexist and interact peacefully in Belarus. And frankly speaking, we are proud of this interfaith peace that exists in Belarus,” Lukashenka said.
According to him, Belarus has 850 Protestant communities, 20 missions and five educational institutions.
“Therefore, your denomination is very widely represented here,” he stressed.
Lukashenka claimed that he personally had good impressions from interacting with Protestants.
“In Soviet times (the Soviet Union was officially an atheist country, although unofficially everyone prayed), when I was a party committee secretary working in agriculture, half of my district consisted of Protestants. I was very interested in how Protestants differed from Orthodox Christians and Catholics. And I visited the homes of our Protestants. I must tell you — they are the kindest people and incredibly hard workers,” he said.
Lukashenka also asked Graham to convey his “best wishes” to US President Donald Trump.
“Franklin, I would also like to thank you for the kind message that Mr. Coale conveyed to me during his visit and our talks. And you understand that without the president of the United States, it might have been more difficult for us to establish our relations. Therefore, when you meet him — and I know you have good relations with the president — please convey my warmest wishes to him. And tell him that he has reliable friends and supporters in Belarus,” he said.
According to Lukashenka, Belarusian Protestants have nothing to worry about because Belarus enjoys “interfaith peace.”
“In the next day or two, you will meet with our Protestant believers. And you will gain a better impression of how they live here. But I want to assure you that this is our brand. We are proud that we have interfaith peace. Therefore, you need not worry about your Protestants, our Protestants,” he said.
The “Festival of Hope,” involving Protestant churches, is scheduled to take place at Minsk’s Chyzhouka Arena on May 16-17.
