Yesterday, President Trump issued an
Executive Order on Advancing International Religious Freedom (
full text). The Order provides in part:
Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of State (Secretary) shall, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), develop a plan to prioritize international religious freedom in the planning and implementation of United States foreign policy and in the foreign assistance programs of the Department of State and USAID....
The Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury shall ... develop recommendations to prioritize the appropriate use of economic tools to advance international religious freedom in countries of particular concern, countries on the Special Watch List, countries in which there are entities of particular concern, and any other countries that have engaged in or tolerated violations of religious freedom as noted in the report required by section 102(b) of the [Religious Freedom Act of 1998].
Deseret, reporting on the Order notes:
The order’s release was timed to coincide with the president’s visit to a shrine honoring Pope John Paul II....
