Trump Signs Order Shoring up Religious Freedom

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (ChurchMilitant.com) - On Thursday, President Trump signed a new executive order on religious liberty in the presence of multiple religious leaders, including Archbishop of Washington D.C. Cdl. Donald Wuerl, as well as two sisters from the Little Sisters of the Poor, on the occasion of the National Day of Prayer.

The order is called "Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative." The president said,"This office will also help ensure that faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and the equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs."

In his address in the White House Rose Garden, the President said, "we are a nation of believers" and went on to say, "As President, I will always protect religious liberty."

The White House said in a statement, "President Trump has declared several days of prayer, including a National Day of Prayer for the victims of Hurricane Harvey and for America's National Response and Recovery Efforts."

A poll released in April from the Public Religion Research Institute reported that Trump's approval rating with white evangelicals sits at at all time high of 75 percent. Trump's approval rating across all Americans is now 42 percent, also the highest approval of a president since October 2015.

Trump, also, recalled May 4, 2017, on which he signed a religious liberty executive order relaxing the Johnson amendment.

"My administration has spoken out against religious persecution around the world including the persecution of many many Christians. What's going on is horrible, and we are taking action."

Trump mentioned his previous Rose Garden address in January to the annual March for Life, making him the first sitting U.S. president to give a live-video address streamed from the White House Rose Garden to the annual March for Life.

Trump criticized the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, saying, "As you all know, Roe v. Wade has resulted in some of the most permissive abortion laws anywhere in the world. For example, in the United States, it's one of only seven countries to allow elective late-term abortions, along with China, North Korea and others."

President Trump reviewed his first-year record of pro-life victories, which was book-ended with banning taxpayer funding of abortion overseas by reinstating the Mexico City policy on January 23, 2017 and instituting a Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Health and Human Services on Thursday, Church Militant reported.

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