On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, US Department of State Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom began in Washington, DC. The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, held a sidebar at the event on the plight of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other religious freedom issues. In attendance were several members of Congress, including Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. But even on this occasion there was persecution of Christians, as two Cuban Christians were prevented by the Cuban government from flying to Washington to attend. This bitterly ironic incident throws into sharp relief the fact that in many areas of the world today, Christians are denied religious freedom.
“Cuba’s Crackdown on Christians,” Vision Christian Radio, July 18, 2019:
Cuban authorities have cracked down on Christians attempting to travel out of the country.
Two members from the Assemblies of God and the Evangelical League and another from the Apostolic Movement were told at check in that they couldn’t board flights to the US on the weekend.
No definitive reason was given and the group is now prohibited from leaving the island.
They were intending to fly to Washington DC for the Ministerial Conference to Advance Religious Freedom which is being held this week.
The flight ban comes the day after a religious freedom defender Ricardo Fernandez Izaguirre was taken off the streets by security officials and placed in detention….
