BUCHAREST, ROMANIA – Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis and Harry Mihet, Liberty Counsel's Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Litigation Counsel, are visiting Romania this week to discuss the impact of same-sex “marriage” on religious liberty and freedom of conscience.

Ms. Davis was jailed in the United States because her conscience prohibited her from personally signing same-sex “marriage” licenses. Mr. Mihet is a native of Romania. He grew up under Romania's oppressive communist regime and witnessed its violent demise in the Christmas Revolution of 1989, which started in his hometown of Timisoara.

More than three million Romanian citizens signed a petition asking for a nationwide referendum to define marriage as a one-man and one-woman union in the nation's constitution. This is believed to be a world record and particularly impressive in a nation of less than 20 million people. The petition was unanimously approved by Romania's Constitutional Court and is now awaiting final approval in the Senate before the referendum can take place. 

During their nine-day visit, Ms. Davis and Mr. Mihet are holding conferences in Romania's largest cities, including Bucharest, Cluj, Sibiu, Timisoara and Iasi. Their message is simple and based upon the recent lessons learned in the United States: same-sex “marriage” and freedom of conscience are mutually exclusive, because those who promote the former have zero tolerance for the latter.

Ms. Davis and Mr. Mihet have already met two Archbishops of the Orthodox Church and are scheduled to meet other leaders of Romania's largest denomination. They are also providing numerous television and radio interviews and meeting with civic leaders as well as members of Parliament. Their conferences are carried live on social media channels and have so far garnered over 50,000 live viewers.

Today in the City of Iasi, Ms. Davis and Mr. Mihet were received with a “Bread and Salt” reception, Romania's traditional equivalent of a red-carpet ceremony, a high honor usually reserved for dignitaries. 

“I am so glad for this amazing opportunity to finally introduce Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis personally to my Romanian people,” said Mihet. “Her story resonates loudly with them, and they are receiving her tearfully and very warmly, because they can still remember the not-so-long-ago days when they were themselves persecuted and imprisoned for their conscience. The freedom of conscience transcends national, cultural, religious and denominational lines, and Romanians are determined to prevent such injustice from ever happening again in their country,” said Mihet.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.