WASHINGTON—Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriguez, who participated in today’s National Day of Prayer service and will deliver tonight’s benediction at the Capitol, applauds President Trump’s executive order aimed at increasing religious freedoms and rolling back the Johnson Amendment.

“I was honored today to stand next to our president, vice president and many of our nation’s faith leaders as we gathered for the National Day of Prayer. This administration has gone to great lengths to signal their commitment to listening to and befriending America’s faith community. I can tell you every Christian leader who was at the White House today feels welcomed, heard, and valued. There is a new tone in Washington, and it’s yet another reason I am so honored to be delivering tonight’s National Day of Prayer benediction at the Capitol.

“This new executive order not only signals President Trump and Vice President Pence’s commitment to fighting for and representing the Evangelical community, but also the larger struggle for religious liberty. For years now, people of faith—especially Christians—have been essentially told that their faith has no place beyond their front door. A subversive oppression has taken a hold of our nation and sincerely held beliefs are subject to not only social ridicule but also legal retribution. I strongly support the president’s position and urge Congress to throw their support behind a full repeal. Our job is not yet done.

“I believe the freedom of religion—for all religions and even no religion at all—is the cornerstone of our republic. The right to believe and to act on belief is at the very heart of human freedom. By signing this executive order today, the president has stood not only for religious liberty, but for a freedom upon which so many other rights rest.”

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Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. He has been named by CNN and Fox News as “the leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement” and TIME Magazine nominated him among the 100 most influential leaders in America.

NHCLC/CONEL is the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization. It serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and another 500,000 congregations spread throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora.

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