Religious Freedom Day, 1997

Proclamation 6966 of January 16, 1997

Religious Freedom Day, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Every day, in neighborhoods and communities across our
Nation, Americans come together to worship and to
reaffirm their most deeply held spiritual values. Our
right to worship freely--each in our own way--is
essential to our well-being. Religious Freedom Day
offers us an invaluable opportunity to reflect on this
precious human right and to give thanks for its
protection in our Nation.

Freedom from religious persecution was of such profound
importance to our founders that they placed it first
among the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
History has proved the wisdom of that decision.
America's commitment to religious tolerance has
empowered us to achieve an atmosphere of understanding,
trust, and respect in a society of diverse cultures and
religious traditions. And today, much of the world
still looks to the United States as the champion of
religious liberty.

Yet, even in America, we must be ever vigilant in
protecting the freedoms so important to our ancestors
and so admired by people throughout the world. The
church arsons and the desecration of synagogues and
mosques in recent years demonstrated for us all that
our country is not entirely free from violence and
religious hatred. My Administration took quick and
decisive action, including working with the Congress to
help churches rebuild and to prevent future incidents.
And I am pleased that the American people are coming
together as a national community to speak out against
such crimes and to renew the climate of trust and
tolerance so that all our people can worship without
fear.

We must also support the aspirations of ethnic and
religious minorities in other nations as they strive
for their own right to worship freely. My
Administration has established the Advisory Committee
on Religious Freedom Abroad to provide counsel on how
best to prevent persecution and promote reconciliation
among people of different faiths. I invite all nations
to join us in supporting individuals in houses of
worship around the world as they exercise one of the
most sacred of human rights.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 1997, as
Religious Freedom Day. I call upon the people of the
United States to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities, and I urge them to reaffirm
their commitment to the principle of religious freedom.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-first.