Religious freedom fosters peace, said a statement for International Religious Freedom Day signed by two members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on behalf of their brother bishops.
International Religious Freedom Day is observed in the United States each year on October 27, the anniversary of the day President Bill Clinton signed the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 into law.
“Let us stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and let us resolve to do our part to promote religious freedom for all people around the world,” said Bishop Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Bishop Kevin Rhoades, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty.
Zaidan is the Eparch of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles; Rhoades is the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana.
“Across the world, millions of people are denied the basic right to religious freedom, a denial that fuels violent conflict and hinders human development," said the bishops.
Specifically, the bishops noted that "thousands of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been kidnapped and killed by Islamist extremists, while the government has imprisoned members of both religious groups for blasphemy."
In other countries, "governments engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom," said the bishops.
The recently released biannual report from Aid to the Church in Need found that nearly two-thirds of the world's population lives in countries with serious religious freedom violations.
The acts of repressing or persecuting religions "is ultimately detrimental to the peaceful development of all nations," said the statement, adding "religious freedom fosters peace."
"Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV said recently that a culture of peace requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person," said the bishops.
Christians need to stay hopeful, said the bishops, even "at a time when war is seemingly non-ending, the evil of political violence persists, and political discourse is shaped by intense polarization and division."
"On this International Religious Freedom Day, let us try to see Christ in each other. We must stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and resolve to do our part to promote religious freedom for all people around the world."
"May our religious practice, and the practice of other believers cultivate ‘the purification of heart necessary for building peaceful relationships.’”
