[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14288]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IN DEFENSE OF CHRISTIANS INAUGURAL SUMMIT

  (Mr. GARRETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to welcome all those who have 
traveled to Washington, D.C., this week for the In Defense of 
Christians Inaugural Summit.
  This summit unites human rights groups and religious leaders 
concerned about the plight of ancient Christian minorities of the 
Middle East. Many of these ancient churches have survived centuries of 
hardship, foreign invasion, and domestic despotism.
  As we have seen recently in Iraq and Syria, millions are now caught 
up in the middle of sectarian violence and conflict and end up paying 
the ultimate price for it.
  The bedrock of our Nation's establishment was freedom of religion. 
But what many experience today, even here in the United States, is the 
subjugation of religious beliefs by a government or military decree. A 
people cannot be free without religious liberty.
  So, Mr. Speaker, again, I welcome all those who are here for the 
summit, and I commend them for their enduring fight for religious 
freedom.

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