[State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha / Public Domain]
“There is no other nation that cares so deeply about religious freedom,” Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said.
Pompeo and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback introduced the 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom, the State Department’s annual publication that tracks the state of religious freedom in countries around the world, at a news conference June 10.
In discussing the religious freedom issues around the world, Pompeo highlighted Nigeria, where “ISIS and Boko Haram continue to attack Muslims and Christians alike,” and China, where the Chinese Communist Party’s “state sponsored repression against all religions continues to intensify.”
“The Chinese Communist Party is now ordering religious organizations to obey CCP leadership and infuse communist dogma into their teachings and practice of their faith,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo described the steps the Trump administration has taken to promote and protect religious freedom, including:
- President Trump’s executive order on international religious freedom, underscoring its importance in U.S. foreign policy.
- The 2018 and 2019 Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom hosted at the State Department.
- Pompeo’s International Religious Freedom Alliance.
The U.S. continues “to protect and promote religious freedom for all faiths, groups, or for people of no faith at all,” Brownback said.
Brownback also highlighted some causes for optimism. Because of reforms implemented by their governments, “Sudan and Uzbekistan have been removed from the list of countries of particular concern” in the 2019 report, he noted.
“The importance of advancing religious freedom cannot be overstated,” Brownback said. “We will continue to press forward our commitment to promote religious freedom for all, and that’s what we have done and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”