Caribbean Delegates Participate in BYU International Law and Religion Symposium

PROVO, Utah — The Caribbean Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints facilitated the participation of three delegates in the 33rd International Law and Religion Symposium, held at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah, United States, where academics, government officials, religious leaders and civil society representatives examined challenges and opportunities related to religious freedom.

The Caribbean delegation included Iván Emilio de Jesús Ogando Lora, ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations in Geneva; Luis Roig Casillas, public affairs adviser to the Senate of Puerto Rico; and Nigel Coke, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

This year’s symposium edition was held under the theme “Building an Infrastructure for Freedom of Religion or Belief” and examined, from various perspectives, the legal, social, and institutional conditions necessary to protect religious freedom.

All three Caribbean representatives participated as speakers in different sessions of the program.

Presentations by Caribbean Delegates

Nigel Coke participated in the session “Interfaith Respect for Religious Pluralism.” His presentation addressed the relationship between state neutrality and education within religious communities as complementary elements in building societies where people of different beliefs can live together with mutual respect. Furthermore, he noted that legal neutrality creates conditions in which no religion depends on another to exercise its beliefs, while emphasizing that laws alone cannot teach people how to live together. In that context, he highlighted the importance of faith communities teaching their members to distinguish between religious disagreement and respect for those who hold different convictions.

Luis Roig Casillas participated in the session “Community Building in Latin America,” where he discussed Puerto Rico’s experience with religious freedom. His presentation included aspects of Law 14-2025, which expressly recognizes religious freedom as a fundamental right in Puerto Rico and establishes protections against government burdens that may affect its exercise.

Ogando Lora participated in the panel “Political Perspectives from Latin America,” alongside representatives from Argentina and Chile. During his presentation, he addressed the challenges facing Latin American democracies as their societies become increasingly diverse in religion and belief. He noted that although countries in the region maintain different models governing relations between the state and religious denominations, the fundamental principle should be to guarantee freedom of conscience and religion, as well as equality and nondiscrimination for all people. He also highlighted the role of the Inter-American human rights system as a common framework for protection that places the individual at the center, regardless of the historical, religious, and constitutional differences among countries in the region.

An Experience That Included General Conference

Before the symposium began, the guests had the opportunity to participate during the weekend of the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they heard messages from Church leaders addressed to members and friends of the faith around the world.

The experience gave the representatives an opportunity to become more familiar with aspects of the faith and teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ before participating in the academic sessions devoted to religious freedom and freedom of belief.

During the symposium, the representatives also met with leaders and representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ in settings focused on dialogue about religious freedom, respect among faith communities and social cooperation.