On 4 September, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the leaders of the largest Christian denominations in Latvia at the Riga Castle. During the meeting, the parties discussed the dialogue between the state and the church, including the role and influence of religious organisations in fostering social cohesion and unity, as well as current issues faced by believers of various Christian denominations in Latvia in their daily lives.
“Today, for the first time in my capacity as President of Latvia, at the Riga Castle I met with the leaders of the largest Christian denominations in Latvia. Our Constitution stipulates the separation of state and church, yet there are a number of areas where their interests converge, such as the preservation of our country’s sacred heritage. Latvia is a multinational and multi-denominational country, and with its tradition of ecumenism and the peaceful coexistence of different denominations, Latvia serves as an example to many other countries around the world. Latvian society is also highly diverse, where each individual has the right to exercise freedom of conscience and religion, as well as to freely determine their attitude towards religion, including engaging in religious practices. It is therefore of particular importance to me to hear the views of the leaders of Latvia’s largest Christian denominations on matters that affect both the relationship between the state and the church and issues of concern to the believers of various Christian denominations,” said President Rinkēvičs after the meeting.
The President of Latvia met with Archbishop Rinalds Grants of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, Metropolitan Archbishop of Riga Zbigņevs Stankevičs of the Roman Catholic Church of Latvia, Metropolitan Alexander of Riga and All Latvia of the Latvian Orthodox Church, Chairman of the Central Council of the Latvian Pomorian Old Believers Church Vladimir Ivanov, and Bishop Kaspars Šterns of the Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia.
