POMPEO: America Must Always Champion Religious Freedom

This past week marked International Religious Freedom Day – an occasion to reflect upon the rampant persecution suffered by so many around the world, and to give thanks for the Bill of Rights that enshrines this liberty as our “first freedom.”

When I became Secretary of State, I caught a lot of flak from outlets like The New York Times for wearing my faith on my sleeve. There was once even an article published with the headline “Mike Pompeo, God’s Envoy.”

It’s true: My Christian faith is the fulcrum of my worldview, as is my unbending belief in our American conception of freedom. In my view, the two are very much linked: The concept of unalienable rights is fundamentally Judeo-Christian in its origins, derived from the understanding that we are, all of us, created in the image of God, and that no man has the right to lay claim to another man’s soul.

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America as we know it would not exist without the yearning for religious freedom. It’s what drove the first settlers to make the incredibly risky decision to emigrate to the New World, and inspired successive generations of people from all backgrounds and faiths to make new lives in America. And it’s also why protecting religious freedom around the world is one of America’s oldest foreign policy traditions, dating back to the 1800s, when the U.S. government denounced the persecution of Orthodox Christians and other religious minorities living under the Ottoman Empire.

The sad truth is, we live in an age in which authoritarian regimes, terrorists, and even secularists in free societies are – in their different ways – trampling religious liberty all around the world. Billions of people live in countries where the freedom of worship is restricted or denied altogether.

Since Hamas and its backers in Tehran launched their war against Israel with the barbaric attacks of October 7, we’ve seen an explosion of antisemitic hatred and violence around the world, and the demonization of the Middle East’s only pluralistic democracy.

In Latin America, the Nicaraguan and Cuban governments harass, intimidate, and imprison Catholic priests and evangelical pastors and worshipers.

In Nigeria, violence against Christians at the hands of terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISIS affiliates is rampant. 

In Iran, the Islamic Republic systematically persecutes religious minorities, including its campaign to eradicate the Baha’i faith, which has seen hundreds arrested, imprisoned, and subjected to brutality and discrimination.

But nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than it is in China today. From the forced sterilizations and abortions of Muslim Uyghurs, to the oppression of Tibetan Buddhists, to the abuse of Catholic priests and assaults on Protestant house churches, Xi Jinping is determined to stamp out any religious practice that does not subordinate God to the Party.

As CIA Director and the 70th Secretary of State, I saw firsthand how encouraging greater religious freedom is deeply tied to America’s mission of promoting a stable and peaceful world.

So when I became our nation’s chief diplomat, I was determined to elevate the issue as it had never been elevated before – and did so through initiatives including the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, the Geneva Declaration affirming the right to life, and by establishing the Commission on Unalienable Rights to reclaim our Founders’ vision of God-given liberty.

With President Trump back in office, that mission is once again being prioritized – and the President’s leadership on issues ranging from combating antisemitism to protecting Christians from persecution is truly inspiring. With the President meeting Xi Jinping this week – and coming on the heels of his diplomatic success in the Middle East – the Administration has an important opportunity to raise the issue of religious persecution within China, and highlight the grievous abuses committed each day by the CCP.

One thing I’ve learned throughout my career in public service is never to underestimate the power of America’s moral example. As Christians, we are called to acts of witness; that obligation surely extends beyond our own lives, and even our own borders, to advocate for those who cannot worship freely themselves. As we celebrate International Religious Freedom Day, I pray that America continues to lead the world in protecting that first freedom, both at home and abroad.