Belarus leader welcomes US evangelist Franklin Graham to hold massive gathering
Thousands are expected at the Festival of Hope as Belarus eases restrictions on a rare mass evangelical gathering.
- On Friday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko greeted U.S. Rev. Franklin Graham in Minsk, who arrived to hold the largest evangelical Christian gathering in the nation's history.
- Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Lukashenko has released 250 political prisoners through U.S.-brokered deals; Lukashenko told Graham, "Without the U.S. president, it might have been more difficult for us to establish our relations."
- Thousands are expected to attend the "Festival of Hope" at a Minsk sports arena in the nation of 9.5 million, where about 80% are Orthodox Christians and about 2% belong to Protestant churches.
- Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya voiced hope the visit aids prisoner releases, though Viasna human rights center reports 845 political prisoners remain, including 22 journalists.
- A 2024 law requires Belarusian religious organizations to reregister with authorities or face being outlawed, while the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has listed the nation among countries with religious freedom violations.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Belarus authoritarian leader welcomes U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham to hold massive gathering
Belarus’ authoritarian leader has greeted U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham, who arrived in the tightly controlled country to hold the largest evangelical gathering in its history.
Associated Press News
Belarus authoritarian leader welcomes US evangelist Franklin Graham to hold massive gathering
Belarus’ authoritarian leader has greeted U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham, who arrived in the tightly controlled country to hold the largest evangelical gathering in its history.
Previously, the authorities had hidden this figure.
Spiritual Thaw In Belarus? A Protestant Prayer Meeting In Minsk Featuring Franklin Graham
If organizers’ hopes are fulfilled, thousands of devout Belarusians -- Baptists, Adventists, other Protestants – could jam a Minsk stadium for a 2-day religious festival, where famed preacher Franklin Graham is expected to speak. It’s an exceedingly rare event for Belarus’ authoritarian regime.
Franklin Graham will pray for Lukashenko. What is the mission of the Protestant preacher in Minsk? When will political prisoners be released? What do Belarusians need to know about hantavirus and norovirus? On "Peak of Freedom" we summarize the main events of the week with political scientist and historian Alexander Fridman. Also on the air are the representative of "Christian Vision" Natalya Vasilevich and microbiologist Viktoriya Doronina. Amo…
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