{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fortenberry.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/religious-news-service-six-congressional-members-urge-stronger-action", "Religious News Service: Six Congressional Members Urge Stronger Action to Protect Religious Liberty", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "NE", "Jeff Fortenberry", "F000449", "fortenberry.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Six members of Congress stressed the need for the U.S. government to take a more vigorously active role in protecting endangered Christians in the Holy Lands and the Middle East.\nFour representatives and two senators spoke Tuesday at the Third International Conference on Religious Freedom in the nation\u2019s capital, sponsored by the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.\nThe speakers were Representatives Chris Smith, R-New Jersey; Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska; Carolyn Maloney, D-New York; Gus Bilirakis, R-Florida, and Senators Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, and James Lankford, R-Oklahoma. The sessions were held in the U.S. Senate Caucus Room and Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium.\n\u201cMore than ever before, vigorous U.S. leadership and diplomacy are needed to address religious freedom violations in the region (Middle East and Holy Lands) and globally,\u201d Rep. Smith said.\nHe also urged \u201cenhanced religious freedom training for the Foreign Service including ambassadors and integrating religious freedom into every aspect of U.S. foreign policy.\u201d\nSmith recommended a timely designation of a \u201ccountry of particular concern\u201d as well as designation of an \u201centity of concern,\u201d such as a terrorist group. He also urged the meting out of sanctions on designated countries and holding not just countries but also individuals accountable.\nRep. Maloney emphasized that religious persecution \u201cis happening all over the world,\u201d adding that there is a need to create a system to accurately track everything happening to Christian minorities and other religions.\n\u201cWe need to put more meat in legislation,\u201d she added, such as no aid to Egypt unless they let Christians rebuild their churches.\nMaloney has advocated for reform in Turkey such as the reopening of Halki \u2013 the Greek Orthodox Christian theological school the Turkish government closed in 1971.\n\u201cLook at countries that respect minorities, religion and women \u2013 they don\u2019t have terrorism,\u201d Maloney added.\nRep. Biilirakis emphasized the need to \u201cspeak out. Our darkest moments have come when those who know better stood still. We must fight to protect Christians all over the world.\u201d\nHe said the United States must \u201cstand up\u201d to our so-called allies, recommending this country appoint an ambassador-at-large for international religion freedom.\nRep. Fortenberry said that attacks on Christians are not only a loss of life, but are a disabling factor in the Middle East.\n\u201cWhat has happened is genocide,\u201d he emphasized. \u201cWhat needs to be done is resurrection, revitalization and repatriation\u201d\nSen. Cardin stressed the need to protect religious targets because \u201cwhat we see in the Middle East is unacceptable. If we don\u2019t take any action, we condone that activity. The United States must take the leadership. Those committing atrocities should not get a pass.\u201d\nThe senator pledged his commitment to protect Christian minorities in the Middle East and elsewhere. \u201cYou have my word,\u201d he said.\nSen. Lakford urged that we speak out clearly for those who are unjustly attacked.\n\u201cMore and more places in the world have less freedom,\u201d he noted. \u201cBlasphemy laws are being adopted in the world. We should not freely trade with a country that doesn\u2019t recognize religious liberty.\u201d\nWhile emphasizing that there is much work to be done, the senator also urged that we \u201cdon\u2019t lose hope.\u201d\nThe members of Congress were not the only participants to urge work on behalf of embattled Christians worldwide.\nArchbishop Demetrios, primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, attacked the \u201ccrime\u201d of killing someone in the name of religion. \u201cThere is not a bigger atrocity than that.\u201d\nAnd Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, national commander of the Archons in America, said, \u201cLet\u2019s hope our work spreads the light of religious freedom around the world.\u00a0 Our discussions are to bring the light of truth and expose the darkness.\u201d\nClick here to read the entire article.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fortenberry.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/religious-news-service-six-congressional-members-urge-stronger-action"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4528699684888124, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}