Vance pledges religious liberty prioritised in US and abroad by new Trump administration
Vice President JD Vance has declared that the second Trump administration will prioritise advancing religious freedom both domestically and abroad. During an address at the International Religious Freedom Summit, held 4-5 February in Washington, DC, the vice president said that this would be done in line with, and as a continuation of, what he described The post Vance pledges religious liberty prioritised in US and abroad by new Trump administration first appeared on Catholic Herald. The post Vance pledges religious liberty prioritised in US and abroad by new Trump administration appeared first on Catholic Herald.
Syndicated News 
Vice President JD Vance has declared that the second Trump administration will prioritise advancing religious freedom both domestically and abroad.
During an address at the International Religious Freedom Summit, held 4-5 February in Washington, DC, the vice president said that this would be done in line with, and as a continuation of, what he described as the accomplishments of the first Trump administration.
“You shouldn’t have to leave your faith at the door of your peoples’ government, and under President Trump’s leadership you won’t have to,” Vance said during the 5 February meeting, noting that the administration “is intent on not just restoring but expanding the achievements of the first four years and certainly of the last two weeks”.
Vance, a Catholic convert, highlighted that during the first presidential term of Donald Trump the latter advanced religious freedom through his foreign policy with China, as well as across Europe, and throughout Africa and the Middle East, which included rescuing persecuted pastors, and bringing relief to faith groups terrorised by ISIS.
Domestically, the vice president said that Trump’s first term was “a new high-water mark for religious Americans”, with decisive actions to defend religious liberty, combat anti-Semitism, preserve the conscience rights of hospital workers and faith-based ministries as they provide care; and to remove barriers for religious organisations and businesses to work with the federal government.
As for the current Trump administration, Vance said it has already made important progress through executive orders “to end the weaponisation of the federal government against religious Americans”, citing the pardoning of pro-life protesters who were arrested for blockading abortion entrances, and an executive order that prevents federal censorship.
“Our administration believes we must stand for religious freedom not just as a legal principle – as important as that is – but as a lived reality both within our own borders and especially outside of them,” Vance said during the roughly 12-minute-long address at the summit.
Vance then described how the process of protecting religious freedom involves recognising in foreign policy the difference between regimes that respect religious freedom and those that do not, which he said the administration stands ready to do.
“Both at home and abroad we have much more to do to more fully secure religious liberty for all people of faith,” the vice president concluded.
Earlier, Vance spoke about faith as a bedrock of the US nation’s culture, noting that it “calls us to treat one another with dignity, to lift up those in need, and to build nations grounded in moral principle”.
He also said religious liberty isn’t just about the legal safeguards, rather “fostering a culture in which faith can thrive so that men and women can fully appreciate the God-given rights of their fellow citizens”, before he elaborated on the crucial role of individual churches in communities.
“Church was a place, and still is, where people of different races, different backgrounds, different walks of life came together in commitment to their shared communities, and of course in commitment to their God,” the vice president said.
“It was a place where the CEO of a company and the worker of a company stood equal before their worship of God. It was a place where people united not just in the pews but in acts of service on mission trips, charity drives, and in rallying around one another in times of sickness, or grief, or, of course, in celebration of new life.”
“Are these not the kinds of bonds and virtues that lawmakers today should strive to cultivate?” Vance asked.
“Well, I’m pleased to say that they certainly were in the first Trump administration, and they will be even more so in the second Trump administration.”
Photo: US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vice President’s ceremonial office at Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, DC, USA, 21 January 2025. A former senator from Florida, Rubio was sworn in as the 72nd US Secretary of State. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.)
The post Vance pledges religious liberty prioritised in US and abroad by new Trump administration first appeared on Catholic Herald.
The post Vance pledges religious liberty prioritised in US and abroad by new Trump administration appeared first on Catholic Herald.
