Franklin Graham calls for prayers for Lukashenka and Putin during speech in Minsk
And he himself prayed for Trump / instagram.com/grishaabramovich
In Minsk, during the Protestant forum “Festival of Hope,” the main star of the event — American preacher Franklin Graham — called on participants to pray for Lukashenko and Putin, while he himself delivered a prayer for U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking before an audience of tens of thousands at Chizhouka Arena, the pastor said:
“The Bible teaches us to do something. The Bible says that we are to pray for those in authority. In 1 Timothy 2:1–2 it says that we are to pray. We are to pray for leadership. I told your president yesterday, I told President Lukashenka, that tonight we would all stand... And I’m going to ask all of you to stand... And I want all of you to stand and say a prayer for your president, for all those who are in authority. If you have come here from Russia — pray for President Putin, for those who are in authority in your country; and I will pray for my president — President Trump. But the Bible tells us to pray for those who are in authority. So what we are going to do now is pray out loud, and in a few moments I will close with my prayer" [the quote via telegram-channel “Christian Vision: NO TO WAR!”]
The text of Graham’s prayer was as follows:
“Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for this wonderful opportunity to be here together. We pray for President Lukashenka. We pray for all those who are in authority in this country. We pray that You would lead them and guide their steps. Father, we thank You for this evening. For everyone who is present here. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
Franklin Graham is the president and CEO of the Evangelistic Association, which helps people affected by crises and disasters. Graham is a friend of U.S. President Donald Trump and Belarus envoy John Cole.
Graham holds such festivals around the world, drawing huge audiences. This was his first visit to Belarus.
On May 15, Graham met with Alexander Lukashenka. Greta Van Susteren, the wife of Cole, was present at the meeting.
