KINGNEWSWIRE// Washington, D.C. – February 6, 2025 – The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2025 brought together a diverse coalition of religious leaders, human rights advocates, and policymakers to discuss global religious freedom challenges. Among the participants were the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights and other Scientology representatives, which actively engaged in discussions to build partnerships and advance religious liberty initiatives.
Circa 100 organizations participating
The summit, co-chaired by former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, was described as “the largest religious freedom gathering in the world, ever.” Over 90 organizations and representatives of more than 30 faith traditions participated, underscoring the growing urgency to combat religious persecution and restrictions worldwide.
On February 5, the new USA Vice President delivered a keynote speech emphasizing the U.S. government’s commitment to protecting religious freedoms domestically and internationally, something that every US Administration is pushing since decades. He addressed ongoing global challenges, including religious persecution and government overreach restricting faith-based activities.
There were panel discussions and plenary sessions that examined religious persecution in Syria, Nigeria, Armenia and other countries. Experts and advocates highlighted the dire conditions many religious communities face, urging governments to take stronger action to prevent discrimination and violence against faith groups.
Additionally, the Religious Freedom Institute, in collaboration with Pepperdine University and the IRF Summit, announced the upcoming IRF Summit Africa, scheduled to take place in Kenya on June 16, 2025. The regional event aims to address religious freedom issues specific to Africa, where numerous countries grapple with sectarian violence and government-imposed restrictions on religious practices.
In a panel moderated by Will Dobson the focus was the increasing use of digital surveillance, censorship, and transnational repression by authoritarian regimes to limit religious freedoms. Panelists warned that oppressive governments are leveraging technology to silence dissent and restrict religious gatherings.
Church of Scientology’s Participation and Efforts Toward Collaboration
The summit saw participation from many religious organizations, and the organizing of it saw the relentless contributions of volunteers from as many civil society partners as Church of Scientology National Affairs Office (Washington DC), the Center for Religious Studies of the Catholic University of America, Baptist groups, Bahai’s. Uyghurs, Sikhs, Yezidies Rumi, Jewish, evangelists, Giselle Lima from the Church of Scientology of Panama and many others. Among the participants was also included the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights, which engaged in discussions to build further partnerships with other organizations advocating for religious liberty. Representatives from the Church of Scientology, Ivan Arjona and Eric Roux, emphasized their commitment to promoting religious tolerance and expressed interest in working with human rights groups and governments to combat discrimination against minority faiths worldwide. During the Summit they met officials from different governments and organizations, such as US State Department, Parlacen, USCIRF Chair and Commissioners, and many others.
As the IRF Summit 2025 wrapped up, leaders and attendees reiterated the importance of continued advocacy and collaboration to uphold religious freedoms across all regions. Many expressed hope that the discussions would translate into concrete policy changes and international cooperation.
With the ongoing efforts EU and UN Scientology representative Ivan Arjona-Pelado paraphrased L. Ron Hubbard, insisting that it is time that “Human Rights are made into a fact and not just an idealistic dream”, and that “stakeholders must remain committed to amplifying the voices of persecuted religious communities and ensuring that faith-based freedoms are recognized and protected as a fundamental human right worldwide, including in Europe”.
