El Salvador: Update to SLV11190 of 7 August 1992 on the situation of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and the treatment of Adventists in El Salvador, 1996-November 2001
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 3 January 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SLV38087.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, El Salvador: Update to SLV11190 of 7 August 1992 on the situation of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and the treatment of Adventists in El Salvador, 1996-November 2001, 3 January 2002, SLV38087.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4beab1c.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the 2001 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, the Salvadoran Constitution "provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice" (2001). The report specifies that: "The Government at all levels generally protects this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors" (ibid.). The report lists the Seventh-Day Adventist among the small communities of churches outside the Catholic and Protestant churches in El Salvador (ibid.).
In January 1999, the Worldwide Faith News reported that a new Adventist radio station started officially to broadcast in El Salvador on 31 December 1998. The station, called "La Voz del Evangelio Eterno," covers the capital area and seven provinces and is able to reach potentially 2.5 million people (ibid.). The station had done some pilot broadcasting in October 2000 for six hours a day, then for 12 hours and was expecting to increase this time to 16 hours (ibid.). La Voz del Evangelio Eterno is listed in the Adventist Yearbook 2001 in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church Website (Seventh-Day Adventist Church 2001).
There are 163 Seventh-Day Adventist churches in El Salvador with a membership of 48,415 (ibid.). However, an article which appeared in the May-June 2001 issue of the Sabbath Sentinel, a magazine published bimonthly by The Bible Sabbath Association, states that there are 262 Seventh-Day Adventist churches in El Salvador with more than 50,000 members. The territory that the church covers includes Ahuachapan, Chalatenango, La Libertad, San Salvador, Santa Ana, and Sonsonate (Seventh-Day Adventist Church 2001). For more information on the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in El Salvador, please consult the Adventist Yearbook 2001 on the Seventh-Day Adventist Church Website.
According to the Sabbath Sentinel article, Adventists were affected by the January 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador : "Preliminary reports indicate that 17 Adventist churches were completely destroyed and 55 incurred significant damage" (ibid.). The article quotes the president of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in El Salvador, Otoniel Zelaya, as stating that the Adventist church was able to respond quickly to the emergency and provide basic help (ibid.). Adventist medical teams were provided with government helicopters for assisting the earthquake victims (ibid.). However, according to Otoniel Zelaya, despite the effort of the Church, Adventists who were victims of the earthquakes will need more help to rebuild (ibid.).
No further information could be found on the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in El Salvador.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional source consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2001: El Salvador. 5 September 2001. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.
The Sabbath Sentinel [Gillette, WY]. May-June 2001. "The Church in the World: El Salvador is Devatated by Earthquakes."
Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 2001. "Adventist Yearbook 2001: The Voice of Everlasting Gospel."
_____. 2001. "Adventist Yearbook 2001: El Salvador Conference."
Worldwide Faith News archives. 31 December 1998. Schaeffer, Christian B. "New Adventist Radio Station in El Salvador."
Additional Source Consulted
The Inter-American Division of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church did not respond to an information request.
