Philippine pastors and other Christian delegates joined about 3,000 religious leaders from around the world in a global call to defend religious freedom, equality, human dignity and due process.

The Philippine gathering brought together 374 participants through onsite and online sessions held in three locations across the country, as part of the 1st Joint Assembly of World Pastors held in South Korea on 13 August.

The assembly was organized by the Council for Christian Mutual Growth, Korea Christian Leaders Training Institute and Pastors Alliance for Life and Human Rights.

Held under the theme “Defending Religious Freedom and Christian Innovation,” the gathering called for greater cooperation among Christian denominations under the banner “One Body. One Voice. One Mission. Advancing Peace Through God’s Word.”

Its three central calls were “Global Fellowship,” “Defend the Truth” and “Innovate for the Kingdom.”

Organizers said the global assembly drew about 3,000 religious leaders from South Korea and other countries, including Russia and Zambia, underscoring what they described as the universal importance of religious freedom and human dignity.

A major focus of the assembly was the detention and trial in South Korea of 95-year-old religious leader chairman Lee Man-hee of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Participants stressed that judicial decisions should be based on law, evidence and due process rather than public pressure or religious differences.

“Public opinion must never replace evidence, truth, and due process,” the joint declaration stated, warning that discrimination against one religious community could put the religious freedom of others at risk.

Rev. Im Young-woong, senior pastor of Saehimang (New Hope) Church of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, also questioned calls to dissolve religious corporations, asking whether a standard applied to one religious organization could eventually be used against another.

Bishop Elias Elijah Changa, founder and president of Zambia-based Missionary Ambassadors for Global Evangelism, said recognizing Lee’s peace-building and interfaith activities through Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light does not mean exempting him from the law.

Changa stressed that any judgment should be based on law and evidence, rather than disagreement with a person’s religious beliefs.

Organizers also raised concerns over what they described as threats to religious freedom and the separation of church and state in South Korea, saying the issue should not be viewed as the concern of a single denomination.

For Philippine participants, the assembly affirmed what they described as a shared responsibility among Christian leaders worldwide to protect religious freedom, human dignity and due process while strengthening cooperation in advancing peace.