Was 2013 a Missed Opportunity?

2013 was supposed to be a great year for religious freedom. Why? Because it was the anniversary of one of the most important documents in the history of religious freedom: The Edict of Milan. It was issued after Constantine became Emperor. For the first time in the Roman Empire, Christians were free to worship their God and shared the same freedom as others. What a fabulous progress it was. Of course history reminds us that several centuries before, Persian kings gave religious freedom to religious minorities in all in their empire, including to the Jews. They were authorized to rebuild their temple. Under the Persian Kings, religious freedom lasted longer than under the Roman emperors.

313 is about the Edict of Milan and the Edict of Milan is about religious freedom. Two years ago, I heard that some big celebrations were planned. I thought religious freedom would be at the top of their agenda. I imagined 100,000 or 500,000 persons gathered in Milan in the evening with little lights shining in the darkness like freedom in our world. I imagine all the bells of Milan ringing together for five minutes to thank God and to remember Constantine for religious freedom. It did not happen. The Orthodox Church organized an important meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia (R) and Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I. They held a liturgy to mark 1,700 anniversary of the Edict. It was in the southern Serbian city of Nis, October 6, 2013. The Catholic Church marked the same anniversary in the same city but a month before. Papal envoy Angelo Scola, the Cardinal of Milan, underlined in his speech the current persecutions of Christians. He spoke of Pakistan as an example, where the Blasphemy Law has become a tool to oppress religious minorities.

We, the IRLA, did our part with fewer dignitaries but more people. All our meetings in 2013 mentioned 313 and the Edict of Milan. They were focused on religious freedom. All together we gathered about 60,000 people. The major events were in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, with 27,000 people; with close to 30,000 in Sao Paulo and 5,000 in Abidjan, Cameroon. We will continue in 2014 with more than 10 large meetings around the world which should gather more than 150,000 people. The edict of Milan is one of our greatest heritages. It should be kept as a treasure and celebrated every year and remembered every day.

 -- Dr. John Graz, Secretary General, International Religious Liberty Association