[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 13 (Friday, January 22, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 6553-6554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01564]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 13 / Thursday, January 22, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 6553]]

                Proclamation 10134 of January 15, 2021

                
Religious Freedom Day, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Faith inspires hope. Deeply embedded in the heart and 
                soul of our Nation, this transcendent truth has 
                compelled men and women of uncompromising conscience to 
                give glory to God by worshiping both openly and 
                privately, lifting up themselves and others in prayer. 
                On Religious Freedom Day, we pledge to always protect 
                and cherish this fundamental human right.

                When the Pilgrims first crossed the Atlantic Ocean more 
                than 400 years ago in pursuit of religious freedom, 
                their dedication to this first freedom shaped the 
                character and purpose of our Nation. Later, with the 
                signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 
                Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, their deep desire 
                to practice their religion unfettered from government 
                intrusion was realized. Since then, the United States 
                has set an example for the world in permitting 
                believers to live out their faith in freedom.

                Over the past 4 years, my Administration has worked 
                tirelessly to honor the vision of our Founders and 
                defend our proud history of religious liberty. From day 
                one, we have taken action to restore the foundational 
                link between faith and freedom and promote a culture of 
                religious liberty. My Administration has protected the 
                rights of individual religious believers, communities 
                of faith, and faith-based organizations. We have 
                defended religious liberty domestically and around the 
                world. For example, I signed an Executive Order 
                Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty to ensure 
                that faith-based organizations would not be forced to 
                compromise their religious beliefs as they serve their 
                communities. This includes defending the rights of 
                religious orders to care for the infirm and elderly 
                without being fined out of existence for refusing to 
                facilitate access to services that violate their faith.

                We have also protected healthcare providers' rights not 
                to be forced to perform procedures that violate their 
                most deeply-held convictions. Additionally, we have 
                ended the misguided policies of denying access to 
                educational funding to historically black colleges and 
                universities because of their religious character and 
                of denying loan forgiveness to those who perform public 
                services at religious organizations. Throughout this 
                difficult year, we have continued these efforts, 
                cutting red tape to ensure houses of worship and other 
                faith-based organizations could receive Paycheck 
                Protection Program loans on the same grounds and with 
                the same parameters as any other entity. We have also 
                aggressively defended faith communities against 
                overreach by State and local governments that have 
                tried to shut down communal worship. Together, we have 
                honored the sanctity of every life, protected the 
                rights of Americans to follow their conscience, and 
                preserved the historical tradition of religious freedom 
                in our country.

                While Americans enjoy the blessings of religious 
                liberty, we must never forget others around the world 
                who are denied this unalienable right. Sadly, millions 
                of people across the globe are persecuted and 
                discriminated against for their faith. My 
                Administration has held foreign governments accountable 
                for trampling--in many cases, egregiously so--on 
                religious liberty. In 2019, to shed light on this 
                important issue, I welcomed survivors of religious 
                persecution from 16 countries in the Oval Office, 
                including Christians, Jews,

[[Page 6554]]

                and Muslims, and made history by standing before the 
                United Nations General Assembly and calling on all 
                nations of the world to stop persecuting people of 
                faith. The United States will never waver in these 
                efforts to expand religious liberty around the world 
                and calls on all nations to respect the rights of its 
                citizens to live according to their beliefs and 
                conscience.

                On Religious Freedom Day, we honor the vision of our 
                Founding Fathers for a Nation made strong and righteous 
                by a people free to exercise their faith and follow 
                their conscience. As Americans united in unparalleled 
                freedom, we recommit to safeguarding and preserving 
                religious freedom across our land and around the world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2021, as 
                Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to 
                commemorate this day with events and activities that 
                remind us of our shared heritage of religious liberty 
                and that teach us how to secure this blessing both at 
                home and around the world.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-01564
Filed 1-21-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P