A “ministerial” — not easy to describe, but something like a combination of a foreign minister’s meeting and a giant conference — on religious freedom took place last week (July 24-26) in Washington, D.C. Convened by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo with the full support of President Trump, the ministerial involved representatives of some 80 countries and some 400 representatives of faith communities and civil society organizations. Lots of panels and side meetings took place; conversations happened; connections were made.
Most significantly, this event lends support for the cause of religious freedom from the highest levels of government(s). Those of us who have been promoting religious freedom as a foreign policy aim since the U.S. Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998 have often lamented that this cause, beyond carrying out what the law mandates, has been relegated to a side issue, buried in the State Department by most administrations. The ministerial is a major moment for elevating religious freedom towards being a more central foreign policy priority, pursued not only for its own sake but also as an integral part of counter-terrorism, democracy, and security policy. The Potomac Declaration and this plan of action are two important results.
I write this as a principled skeptic of President Trump and his derogations of the dignity of Muslims, women, immigrants, and many others; his praise of and support for dictators; and his many efforts to dismantle the post-World War II liberal international order. But I will still applaud when he takes actions that uphold human dignity and essential freedoms like appoint Supreme Court justices committed to the rights of the unborn, nullify the HHS mandate’s infringement upon conscience, and promote international religious freedom. Reasons of coalition politics may well motivate him (see here), but the policies promote justice. My daily prayers include a petition for the Trump Administration, that the good may increase and the bad may decrease. The ministerial increases the good.