between the government and members of an evangelical church the authorities want to close down, church leaders said.
The reported promise made by General Filistovich came as members of the embattled New Life congregation in Minsk prepared to gather in front of the Minsk City Executive Council building to demand freedom of worship and to protest against a decision by city officials to confiscate their land on which the church is build.
He "gave his word of an officer that he will learn our problems and will personally influence the
positive resolution," New Life said in a statement obtained by BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest.
Gereral Filistovich, who is a deputy interior minister and chief of security forces, "asked believers not to go on the street until all the means are not used in negotiations with authorities," New Life explained.
"As a last opportunity the general offered personally to mediate in this negotiations which will be on Monday, September 19, at midday in his office in the building of the Ministry of Interior," the church added.
MONDAY TALKS
Monday’s talks were expected to be attended by church leaders and several senior government officials, including representatives of the ministerial Committee on Religious Affairs and National Minorities.
New Life said General Filistovich, whose first names were not immediately available, "believes that it is not in the interest of the republic to have a conflict between believers and the authorities. In this situation the leaders of the church decided to use this opportunity [of negotiations] to resolve this problems."
The last minute agreement and cancellation of the protest avoided a potential violent confrontation with security forces, who recently broke up several demonstrations for more freedom in Belarus, a former Soviet republic US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described as "the last true dictatorship" in central Europe.
However New Life stressed it does not rule out demonstrations in the future if no agreement is
reached. "Church leaders warned the general that if the demands of the New Life church will
not be met, they are planning to visit the mayor of the city."
PERSECUTION SYMBOL
New Life is one of 60 congregations of the evangelical Full Gospel Union Church domination, but has come to symbolize what human rights watchers describe as "widespread persecution" of non-Orthodox churches.
The difficulties, including church closures and arrests, have been linked to a controversial 2002 Law on Freedom of Conscience which required all existing churches to re-register. "The purpose of this law seems to have been to restrict religious movements and their growth, except for the official church," said human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide earlier Thursday, September 15.
However the Belarusian authorities have strongly denied human rights abuses and say they only act against those undermining the country’s society. Yet "with the help of Jesus we find strength in our hearts to forgive and love our persecutors, by blessing them as it is written in the Word," said 35-year old New Life Pastor Slava Goncharenko.
"We pray that everyone of those that are against us would be saved and would serve the Lord and become members of our church. We believe that God controls the whole situation and He is never in a hurry and is never late. We are patiently expecting the positive results and as it can be found in the Bible, everything can turn around and change in one day," he added. (Correspondent Agnes R. Bos contributed to the story)
