Office of religious freedom to be elevated in US, says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced the elevation of the Offices of International Religious Freedom and the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism within the State Department, saying that the American President Donald Trump has promoted religious freedom like never before in America's foreign policy agenda.

He said that international religious freedom is a top priority for the Trump administration.

The Trump Administration has promoted religious freedom like never before in our foreign policy agenda.

Given our own great freedoms, it's a distinctly American responsibility to stand up for faith in every nation's public square, Pompeo said in his remarks at the release of the 2018 annual report on International Religious Freedom.

He announced the elevation of the Office of International Religious Freedom along with the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism within the State Department.

Effective immediately, each of these two offices will report directly to the undersecretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, he said.