ICSA TODAY 24
Conflicts and the Need for Justice.”
The symposium included more
than 800 guests from all over
the world: secretaries of state,
parliamentarians, diplomats,
faith and civic leaders, and
representatives from numerous
charities and faith communities.
A video about highlights of the
event is available online at
mta.tv/peace
Freedom of Religion in Russia
Worldwide, many nongovernment
organizations (NGOs) have denounced
the severe persecution of the
congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses
that is taking place in Russia. This
issue was also discussed in Italy in
two important conferences held in
Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies.
The conferences were organized,
respectively, by AIDLR (International
Association for the Defense of
Religious Liberty) on October 26, 2016,
and by CESNUR (Center for Studies on
New Religions) on March 22, 2017.
Five members of the Italian Parliament
also decided to denounce the serious
violations of religious freedom of
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, asking
questions to the Italian Parliament. A
Press Conference about this matter
also was organized at the Italian
Parliament.
Conferences
• The International Association
for the Psychology of Religion
(IAPR) holds biannual conferences
that serve as a meeting point for
scholars from all over the world to
share the latest research findings
in the field. The IAPR Conference
2017 was held in Hamar, Norway
on August 21–24. The overarching
theme for the conference was
“Culture, Context and Existential
Challenges.” The keynote speakers
were Dr. Valerie DeMarinis,
Dr. Kenneth I. Pargament, Dr.
Mohammad Khodayarifard, and
Dr. Tatjana Schnell, all leading
world researchers in psychology,
religion and spirituality, culture,
and existential meaning-making.
In addition, the program consisted
of numerous presentations and
seminars.
• CESNUR (Center for Studies on
New Religions) is coordinating the
international seminar “Religious
Liberty in Danger in Russia: A
Cause for Concern in Europe”
for September 26, 2017, at the
Chamber of Deputies (House
of Parliament). This seminar,
organized in cooperation with
MP Lacquaniti, a member of the
Italian Parliament, will discuss the
problems of religious liberty in
Russia, a cause of serious concern
in Europe. A case in point is the
liquidation of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses organization, decided in
April 2016 by the Supreme Court
of Moscow, and against which
an appeal is now pending. In the
meantime, Russian authorities also
have moved against other religious
and spiritual movements, with the
same accusations of extremism
they have used to support
their case against the Jehovah’s
Witnesses.
Report From Spain and Latin
America
Luis Santamaría
Translated by John Paul Lennon
In February 2017, Spanish law student
Carlos Bardavío Antón defended his
doctoral thesis, Sects in Penal Law, at
Seville University’s law faculty, thus
presenting the first doctoral thesis of
its kind to broach the phenomenon of
sects in Spanish penal-law history.
Groups of Christian Origin
Spain’s Supreme Court confirmed the
sentences of from 3 to 3-1/2 years’
incarceration for all four individuals
guilty of organizing a pyramid scheme
worth 39 million euros, which affected
more than 1,300 people throughout
Spain, many of whom were Jehovah’s
Witnesses. The hoax happened from
1998 to 2002 through a fictitious
investment company, Rural New
Life SL, and Mutua Mas Vida. One of
Correspondents
,
Reports
Conflicts and the Need for Justice.”
The symposium included more
than 800 guests from all over
the world: secretaries of state,
parliamentarians, diplomats,
faith and civic leaders, and
representatives from numerous
charities and faith communities.
A video about highlights of the
event is available online at
mta.tv/peace
Freedom of Religion in Russia
Worldwide, many nongovernment
organizations (NGOs) have denounced
the severe persecution of the
congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses
that is taking place in Russia. This
issue was also discussed in Italy in
two important conferences held in
Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies.
The conferences were organized,
respectively, by AIDLR (International
Association for the Defense of
Religious Liberty) on October 26, 2016,
and by CESNUR (Center for Studies on
New Religions) on March 22, 2017.
Five members of the Italian Parliament
also decided to denounce the serious
violations of religious freedom of
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, asking
questions to the Italian Parliament. A
Press Conference about this matter
also was organized at the Italian
Parliament.
Conferences
• The International Association
for the Psychology of Religion
(IAPR) holds biannual conferences
that serve as a meeting point for
scholars from all over the world to
share the latest research findings
in the field. The IAPR Conference
2017 was held in Hamar, Norway
on August 21–24. The overarching
theme for the conference was
“Culture, Context and Existential
Challenges.” The keynote speakers
were Dr. Valerie DeMarinis,
Dr. Kenneth I. Pargament, Dr.
Mohammad Khodayarifard, and
Dr. Tatjana Schnell, all leading
world researchers in psychology,
religion and spirituality, culture,
and existential meaning-making.
In addition, the program consisted
of numerous presentations and
seminars.
• CESNUR (Center for Studies on
New Religions) is coordinating the
international seminar “Religious
Liberty in Danger in Russia: A
Cause for Concern in Europe”
for September 26, 2017, at the
Chamber of Deputies (House
of Parliament). This seminar,
organized in cooperation with
MP Lacquaniti, a member of the
Italian Parliament, will discuss the
problems of religious liberty in
Russia, a cause of serious concern
in Europe. A case in point is the
liquidation of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses organization, decided in
April 2016 by the Supreme Court
of Moscow, and against which
an appeal is now pending. In the
meantime, Russian authorities also
have moved against other religious
and spiritual movements, with the
same accusations of extremism
they have used to support
their case against the Jehovah’s
Witnesses.
Report From Spain and Latin
America
Luis Santamaría
Translated by John Paul Lennon
In February 2017, Spanish law student
Carlos Bardavío Antón defended his
doctoral thesis, Sects in Penal Law, at
Seville University’s law faculty, thus
presenting the first doctoral thesis of
its kind to broach the phenomenon of
sects in Spanish penal-law history.
Groups of Christian Origin
Spain’s Supreme Court confirmed the
sentences of from 3 to 3-1/2 years’
incarceration for all four individuals
guilty of organizing a pyramid scheme
worth 39 million euros, which affected
more than 1,300 people throughout
Spain, many of whom were Jehovah’s
Witnesses. The hoax happened from
1998 to 2002 through a fictitious
investment company, Rural New
Life SL, and Mutua Mas Vida. One of
Correspondents
,
Reports
