Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church were not present at the founding meeting of the branch of the International Religious Freedom Association

On February 26, a branch of the Eurasian branch of the International Association for Religious Freedom (MARS) was established in Nizhny Novgorod. Among the participants of the founding meeting were representatives of the Old Believers, Islam, Judaism, Evangelical Baptist Christians, Seventh Day Adventist Christians, Evangelical Christians, Beit El Messianic Community, Buddhists, members of the Nizhny Novgorod Society for Human Rights. Official representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church were not present at the founding meeting, although one of the Orthodox priests was in the hall in private capacity.

Galina Shirokalova, Professor of the Nizhny Novgorod Agricultural Academy, Doctor of Sociology, Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Branch of the Russian Society of Sociologists, was elected Chairman of the Volga branch of MARS. The branch plans to carry out its work on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Samara, Kirov, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions, the Komi-Permyatsk Autonomous Okrug, the republics of Mari El, Mordovia, Tatarstan, Chuvashia.

Sources

• A branch of the International Association for Religious Freedom established in the Volga region // Religion and society. 2004. February 27.