Christian church representatives condemn dishonest conversions

Published: 2003-10-31

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Catholic Church representatives from Eastern Europe, meeting in Poland, have condemned dishonest methods of gaining conversions and pledged to work with Orthodox and Protestants in evangelization and mission. "Recognizing religious freedom as a human right, we realize that one of the great challenges in offering common witness is the problem of proselytism, which is a counterwitness that does not respect the other, but instead brings tension and division," delegates from 22 churches and denominations said in a joint declaration. "We should never try to encourage Christians who belong to a church to change their allegiance by ways and means that contradict the spirit of Christian love, violate the freedom of the human person and diminish trust in the Christian witness of the church," the delegates said. Their declaration, issued after an October meeting organized by the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, said recovery from communist-enforced atheism in Eastern Europe had been impeded by "a new agnosticism of the neoliberal and secularized world," which underlined the need for united efforts.

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