The ICLRS was pleased to help sponsor the 10th Annual Conference of the Consorcio Latinoamericano de Libertad Religiosa (Latin American Consortium for Religious Liberty). To celebrate its first decade, the “Consorcio” returned to the city of its first international conference, Lima, Peru. Professor Gary Doxey, ICLRS Associate Director, participated in the conference, which took place 22-25 September 2010. Several scholars from all over Latin America and Spain participated. Long-time ICLRS advisor and friend, Professor Silvio Ferrari of Milan, Italy, was also present. He, along with Professor Cole Durham who was not present, was instrumental in providing outside help and encouragement for the creation of the Consorcio ten years earlier.

ICLRS has had a long-standing relationship with the Consorcio and has provided support and collaboration since its inception. The Consorcio has become the leading academic association for the study of religion-state matters in Latin America. Its regular meetings and activities have led to significant growth in law and religion expertise in Latin America and have engendered several collaborations among Consorcio members. IRCLS congratulates the members and leaders of the Consorcio for ten years of progress and is proud to be closely associated with it.

The theme of the 2010 conference in Lima was “Religion and Labor Law.” Professor Doxey made two formal presentations at the conference, one on behalf of ICLRS senior fellow Scott Isaacson, who was unable to attend the conference. This presentation was a comprehensive overview of religious employment law around the globe that Mr. Isaacson co-authored along with other colleagues. Professor Doxey’s second presentation reported recent religious liberty developments and trends in U.S. case law. The Consorcio also invited Professor Doxey to provide a report on the decisions in the Schüth and Obst cases on religious employment. These decisions were handed down by the European Court of Human Rights while the Consorcio was in session and were much-anticipated developments related to the theme of the conference.