An Interfaith Council has been created under the Administration of the Irkutsk Region

An Interfaith Council has been created under the Administration of the Irkutsk Region. It included eleven representatives of religious organizations in the region: Orthodox, Evangelical Christians (Pentecostals), Jews, Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Muslims, Old Believers, Catholics, Lutherans (Ingria Church), Buddhists - as well as three employees of the regional administration and governor's office.

According to the website of the Russian United Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals), "the council was formed to organize interaction between the regional administration, other executive bodies of state power, religious organizations operating in the region, other organizations, the media in the field of state-confessional relations and freedom of conscience and religion.

The functions of the council include participation in the preparation of draft legal acts of the region, preparation of proposals for assisting and supporting the charitable activities of religious organizations, as well as their implementation of socially significant cultural and educational programs and events, analysis of information about the situation in the region in the field of interfaith, state -confessional relations, and compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and religious associations in the region, the formation of proposals for the development of preventive measures, including educational and propaganda, aimed at preventing extremist activity and countering terrorism.

The chairman of the council is the head of the administration of the governor of the region.

The first meeting of the Interfaith Council took place on 1 October. The council is expected to meet once a month in the future.

Sources

• The pastor of the Word of Life church is included in the Interfaith Council under the administration of the Irkutsk region // Official site of ROSHVE. 2007. May 17.
• The Interfaith Council of the Irkutsk Region started its work // IslamNews.ru. 2007. October 3rd. (With reference to i38.ru)