The Trump administration is being urged to elevate the cause of religious liberty — some liken it to the same urgency that the Obama administration placed on climate change.
Former Sen. Sam Brownback is leading the charge. The grim uncertainty now faced worldwide for those who practice their faith — Christians and Catholics, Yesidis, and Muslims — will grow in importance to Americans as climate change did.
“President Trump and Vice President Pence want to see this happen,” said Brownback, who was recently confirmed as U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom.
The former Republican U.S. senator and two-term Kansas governor spoke to an overflow crowd of fellow advocates for the right to worship at the U.S. Capitol. The event was sponsored by the International Catholic Legislators Network.
Brownback was personally involved in the effort to secure the release of Presbyterian Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was arrested in Turkey following the attempted coup against President Erdogan in 2016 and has since languished in prison.
In addition, Ambassador Brownback told Newsmax he is talking to his counterparts in other countries that are now “bad actors” on the issue of religious freedom. They are willing to change, Brownback said, “Primarily because they want to enlarge their economies.”
Among those attending the event were several Republican U.S. Representatives involved in the issue of religious persecution — notably Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J., the most senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and one of the earliest congressional fighters for religious liberty.
Following Brownback was Jan Figel, former member of the Slovak parliament and European commissioner for education, training and culture from 2004 to 2009. Figel recently became the European Union’s first-ever special envoy for religious freedom — the "European Sam Brownback,” as Jacqueline Halbig von Schleppenbach of the International Catholic Legislators Network put it.
“Freedom of religion and conscience is an essential value,” Figel said. “And there is a spiritual dimension that is all too often forgotten. We must change the global climate on this issue. Either we get it right, or we lose civilization.”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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