Seventh-Day Adventists Welcome Registration News

13 April 2005

^{Dr. Jonathan Gallagher
SDA UN Liason}

During an April 5 meeting of the U.N.'s Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), the head of the Eritrean contingent, Amare Tekle, announced that Eritrea's government has authorized a registration application from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. If this application is approved, this would make the SDA church one of five approved religious organizations. The other approved religious groups are Islam, Eritrean Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran. Commenting on the announcement, Jonathan Gallagher, an Adventist representative at the U.N. said, "We appreciate the ambassador's positive comments ... and await the completion of the registration process with great interest." Tekle announced that the application screening process would be finalized "in the near future."

Glenn Penner, in his weekly weblog, comments: "I wouldn't get too excited about the announcement last week at the UNHRC that the Eritrean government has approved the registration of the Seventh Day Adventists and that the denomination would be operational once bureaucratic processes have been finalized. Registration has meant nothing to those who ordered the detention of Orthodox and Lutheran believers in recent months because of their activities. And I suspect that the Seventh Day Adventists know that too! The SDA church is very small and this move to register is, we believe, a move by the Eritrean government to do something that looks positive."

This announcement comes in the midst of continuing persecution of Christians in Eritrea; particularly evangelicals. Hundreds of Christians suffer torture and imprisonment, and are often deprived of food and water, because of their faith.

Pray that the Eritrean government will truly begin to respect the rights of its Christian citizens. Pray for the many Christians suffering for their faith in Eritrea today.

Be sure to read the rest of Glenn Penner's weekly weblog entitled "The Wonderful, Weird and Orwellian World of Eritrea," and his challenge to Sophia Tesfamariam, commentator for the Eritrean Ministry of Information of the State. We also encourage you to visit VOM's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/, to access two video reports from Eritrea.

For more information on persecution in Eritrea, click here.

Eritrea

Country Information
Population
6,274,796 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Tigrinya (50), Tigre (30), Saho (4), Afar (4) Kunama (4), Bilen (3), other (5)

Religion (%)
Islam (47.4), Christianity (48.8), other (3.8)

Leader
President Isaias Afworki (1993)

Government type
Presidential republic

Legal system
Mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law

Sources: CIA World Factbook, Operation World
Pray for Eritrea
Ask the Lord to provide imprisoned Eritrean believers a means of escape and a place of safe refuge. Pray for Him to also work deeply in the hearts of the country's governing officials so they will grant His people the freedom to worship Him and glorify His matchless name. Mindful of their own human frailties, may these political leaders realize the need to make Jesus their own personal Saviour and Lord by accepting His gift of eternal salvation.