Potomac Declaration

Richard A. Sokerka

At the recent Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom held at the State Department in Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a declaration encouraging the global community to stand up for religious freedom.

Known as the Potomac Declaration, it is a statement of principles on the meaning and value of religious freedom.

The declaration, in part, states: “The freedom to seek the divine and act accordingly — including the right of an individual to act consistently with his or her conscience — is at the heart of the human experience.” It adds, “Religious freedom is a far-reaching, universal, and profound human right that all peoples and nations of good will must defend around the globe.”

The declaration cites as challenges to our religious freedoms “persecution, repression, and discrimination on the basis of religion.”

It also points out that our religious freedom is closely intertwined with the other freedoms we enjoy, most especially in our nation. “Where religious freedom is protected, other freedoms — like freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly — also flourish,” it states.

At the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, some 400 civil society representatives and religious leaders also heard stories of horror and of courage from survivors of persecution, including a North Korean defector, a Uyghur Muslim from China, a Yazidi woman who survived ISIS captivity and terror, and the daughter of American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been unjustly imprisoned in Turkey for two years.

The Ministerial’s intense focus on the growing tragedy of attacks on our religious freedoms here and in countries abroad will hopefully spur words into action so that religious freedom can be promoted and defended everywhere.