US report highlights state of international religious freedom
(Vatican Radio) Religious liberty is under threat around the world. This is the core
message of a recent report by the US Department of State. The 2012 Report on International
Religious Freedom tells of thousands of people around the world who are jailed for
their beliefs or lack of belief. The Report seeks to advance religious freedom by
shining a spotlight on abuses and violations in countries around the globe.
The
US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Suzan Johnson Cook, spoke
with Vatican Radio about the broader nature and scope of her work. “Diplomatic engagement
is what I do and it is an essential component to achieving lasting improvements in
international religious freedom,” she said. “Our goal,” explained Ambassador Johnson
Cook, “is to work constructively with foreign governments to help them improve religious
freedom, and to help them avoid conditions that would lead them to being designated
as countries of particular concern.” Listen to Chris Altieri’s extended conversation
with US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Suzan Johnson Cook:
The position
of Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom was created by the US Congress
fifteen years ago, in 1998, along with a bipartisan United States Commission on International
Religious Liberty and the Special Advisor for International Religious Liberty within
the US National Security Council. The 2012 document on the state of religious freedom
around the world is comprehensive: it consists of almost two hundred individual reports
on countries and territories, each of which sets forth the laws, policies, and practices
of governments; describes the nature of societal respect for religious freedom; and
highlights the specific efforts that the U.S. government made in each country to promote
respect for religious freedom. Listen to Chris Altieri’s extended conversation with
Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook.