Anna Eshoo: “Churches have been, and continue to be, attacked and sacred objects ransacked, and the very lives of those that stand…”

“Churches have been, and continue to be, attacked and sacred objects ransacked, and the very lives of those that stand against this are being threatened. The Christians of Syria, as well as Iraq, Iran, Israel, and Egypt, are the oldest in the world. Christianity was from the beginning a Middle Eastern religion. The Assyrian Christians, the Chaldeans, actually celebrate mass in Aramaic, which is the language Jesus spoke. For more than 2,000 years, Christians have been a key part of the Middle Eastern community. From the founding of our Nation, religious freedom has been a pillar of our democracy, and it remains one of the great hallmarks of our country. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical legislation to create a Special Envoy focused on the freedom and survival of these ancient faith communities, and I thank Representative Wolf most especially for his tireless advocacy. I also thank the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for supporting this legislation and for writing to every Member of the House urging their full support, as well as the honor roll of faith-based organizations who support the legislation. Let us go forward and send a very clear message, not only to the other legislative body, but also to people around the world, that we remain the beacon of hope and light and that we uphold this pillar of religious freedom, not only in our own Nation but in countries around the world where people of faith are under siege.”