{"id":7065,"date":"2014-07-28T23:28:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-28T23:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/expert-religious-freedom-pick-will-fail-without-resources-73503\/"},"modified":"2014-07-28T23:28:00","modified_gmt":"2014-07-28T23:28:00","slug":"expert-religious-freedom-pick-will-fail-without-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/07\/expert-religious-freedom-pick-will-fail-without-resources\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert: Religious freedom pick will fail without resources"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Washington D.C., Jul 28, 2014 \/ 05:28 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- While welcoming the proposal for a new global religious freedom ambassador after a nine-month vacancy, one expert warned that adequate resources must be given for the position to be effective.<\/p>\n

\tFormer American diplomat Dr. Thomas Farr told CNA that \u201cRabbi (David) Saperstein is a well regarded, long-time advocate for religious freedom.\u201d However, he cautioned that the rabbi \u201cwill fail if the administration in general, and the State Department in particular, do not provide him the tools to succeed, tools they did not provide his predecessor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tOn July 28, the Obama administration announced the president\u2019s intent to nominate Saperstein as the next U.S. Ambassador at-Large for International Religious Freedom.<\/p>\n

\tThe ambassador position was vacant for months following the resignation of Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook last October. The choice of Rabbi Saperstein follows criticism of the administration for not filling the position more quickly amidst global religious freedom concerns.<\/p>\n

\tFarr, who currently directs the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University\u2019s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, called the extended vacancy \u201cbizarre\u201d and said the administration had \u201cno excuse\u201d for taking so long to choose a successor.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt reflects what has been an incredibly lax attitude by the administration on religious freedom. Perhaps that has changed with the nomination of Saperstein,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

\tRabbi Saperstein is the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and serves on numerous boards, including the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.<\/p>\n

\tHe was the first chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and was formerly a member of the President\u2019s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.<\/p>\n

\tHe was a strong supporter of passing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, although he has voiced opposition to the Supreme Court\u2019s recent ruling that the 1993 law protects Hobby Lobby from being required to pay for employees\u2019 early abortion drugs.<\/p>\n

\tSaperstein was chosen in 2009 by Newsweek magazine the most influential rabbi in the United States. He also teaches Jewish Law and First Amendment Church-State Law at Georgetown University.<\/p>\n

\tFarr emphasized that Saperstein would have to receive proper support from the administration in order to succeed as ambassador.<\/p>\n

\tFirst, Saperstein needs to \u201creport directly to the Secretary of State,\u201d which is not currently the case, Farr said. This would send the message \u201cfor the first time\u201d that \u201cthis administration is giving the issue of religious freedom priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, he said, the rabbi \u2013 if confirmed by the Senate \u2013 needs the staff and funding that his predecessor lacked.<\/p>\n

\tFurthermore, the next ambassador must have \u201cauthority to draft an inter-agency, U.S. national security strategy for the advancement of religious freedom,\u201d Farr emphasized.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Washington D.C., Jul 28, 2014 \/ 05:28 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- While welcoming the proposal for a new global religious freedom ambassador after a nine-month vacancy, one expert warned that adequate resources must be given for the position to be effective.
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