US SecState Pompeo: Religious
freedom a fundamental human right
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| US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a cabinet meeting. - ANSA |
In an interview with Vatican News, US Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo says religious freedom is a fundamental human right and invites all
faiths and countries to promote it.
By Devin Watkins
The United States Department of State is hosting the
first-ever international summit on the topic of religious freedom.
The event is slated for July 24-26 in Washington D.C., and
will gather over 80 delegations, including more than 40 foreign ministers.
Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, spoke to Devin
Watkins about the first “Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom”.
“When individuals are permitted to act and behave freely
with respect to their faith, they have the capacity then for greatness,”
Secretary Pompeo told Vatican News.
‘True priority’
The mission of the ministerial, he said, “is to spread the word of the importance of religious freedom for every individual around the world.”
He said the State Department under President Donald Trump’s
administration has made the issue “a true priority”.
“People of all faiths should have the right to worship as
they please, or if they choose not to, they should be permitted to do that as
well,” he said.
The role of faith leaders
Secretary Pompeo stressed that religious leaders, as well as governments, should press for religious freedom “for their particular faith and their beliefs”, as well as ensuring it for all faiths.
“So we think that the Catholic Church can play an important
role in the mission that we’re attempting to achieve through gathering these
folks in Washington in the days ahead,” he said.
Finally, Secretary Pompeo pointed out that investors and
commercial actors see places with broad religious freedom as “more open and
with less risk.”
“We see a deep connection between religious freedom as a
fundamental human right and economic benefits that flow to countries that have
this religious freedom,” he said. “We think it benefits American foreign policy
to reinforce this.”
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