“Religious freedom fosters peace,” say Bishop Zaidan and Bishop Rhoades

WASHINGTON - On October 27, the United States observes International Religious Freedom Day to commemorate the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. 

“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 A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty. They called attention to the repression and persecution of religion as being detrimental to peace:

“Across the world, millions of people are denied the basic right to religious freedom, a denial that fuels violent conflict and hinders human development. In recent years, for example, 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 many other countries as well, people of faith are under consistent assault, while their governments engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom.

“We have seen that repression and persecution of religion is ultimately detrimental to the peaceful development of all nations. 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.

“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, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, must not lose hope. 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.’”