Adventist Youth Join Demonstrations against Corruption in Honduras

From ANN, July 29, 2015:   Adventist young people took to the streets of major cities in Honduras last week to as thousands of protesters from many faiths marched against government corruption. More than 10,000 Adventists holding signs and banners marched in Tegucigalpa, the capital, as well as in La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, and dozens of other cities. In recent weeks, there have been dozens of marches demanding an end to corruption.

“Our Adventist young people gave a clear message to our Honduran population that unless citizens seriously commit to keeping all of the commandments of God, there won’t be positive changes to help the country forge ahead,” said Pastor Adan Ramos, president of the Adventist Church in Honduras. As part of the demonstration, Ramos spoke in the main squares of Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba.

The recent march was the third national event of its kind organized by the Adventist denomination since 2013 and an important one, said Ramos. Honduras, which has a population of just 8.7 million, has the world’s highest murder rate, with 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people, according to United Nations statistics.

Thousands of Adventist young people marched last year, while a national march to end violence against women took place in 2013. Ramos said that sharing hope and pointing people to Christian values will remain a priority in the coming months, with dozens of additional initiatives in the works.

The Adventist denomination in Honduras has more than 181,200 members worshiping in 678 congregations. The denomination also operates a hospital and several schools.

The Adventist News Network (ANN) is the official news service of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.