    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [June 18, 1998]
    [Pages 984-986]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Religious Leaders
    June 18, 1998

        Thank you very much, Madam Secretary, to the Members of Congress who are here, and the religious
    leaders, especially to Rabbi Schneier,
    Archbishop McCarrick, Reverend
    Argue. I thank all of you for your devotion to
    religious liberty and to the proposition that America's advocacy of
    freedom should, indeed must, include our advocacy of religious liberty.
        I'd like to say a special word of thanks to John Shattuck, our Assistant Secretary of State, who has worked so hard
    to promote human rights around the world and whom, I hope, will soon be
    moving on to other important responsibilities for the United States.
    John, thank you very, very much for doing a great job. Sandy
    Berger and Madeleine and I rely on you a lot, and we hope you'll have another
    good run soon.
        I'd also like to say a special word of appreciation to
    Reverend Argue, Archbishop McCarrick, and Rabbi Schneier
    for leading a delegation to China on a mission that grew out of my
    meeting with President Jiang last fall. In their
    discussions with Chinese Government leaders and religious groups of all
    kinds, they were our forceful advocates for religious liberty. Their
    visit helped to make the Chinese people aware of the fundamental
    importance of this issue, not simply to the American Government but to
    the American people.
        We have just met to discuss their trip, and I have received from
    them a very impressive report of their activities, replete with their
    specific recommendations about where we go from here. And their insights
    will certainly have a big influence on my activities and conversations
    as I prepare to embark for China.
        I also want to thank all the religious leaders who have joined us
    here today who have been part of our advisory process. We welcome the
    recent release from prison of two key Chinese religious leaders, Gao
    Feng and Bishop Zeng Jingmu,
    as well as China's announcement that it intends to sign the
    International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, with its
    guarantees of freedom of thought and religion. But Chinese Christians,
    Muslims, and Buddhists remain imprisoned for their religious activities,
    including in Tibet, and other believers face harassment.
        Therefore, when in China, I will speak as clearly as I can about
    human rights and religious freedom. Our message is clear: We in the
    United States believe that all governments everywhere should ensure
    fundamental rights, including the right of people to worship when and
    where they choose. We believe that China should resume talks with the
    Dalai Lama. We believe that prisoners of
    conscience should be released.
        I am convinced that dealing directly with the Chinese on these
    issues is the best way to make a difference, and making a difference is
    in the end what matters. I am also convinced, as I told President
    Jiang here both privately and in our press
    conference, that China will be more stable, will grow stronger, will
    acquire more influence in the world in direct proportion to the extent
    to which it recognizes liberties of all kinds and especially religious
    liberty.
        Of course, we all know that the freedom to follow one's personal
    beliefs, to worship as one chooses, is at the core of what it means to

    [[Page 985]]

    be an American. It is in the very first amendment to the Constitution.
    It is at the forefront of the Bill of Rights. Men and women fleeing
    religious persecutions helped to found our country. They still arrive
    every year, of every conceivable faith, from every point in the world to
    seek this freedom.
        Our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other houses of
    worship are centers of vibrant community life and vital community
    service. We have always been vigilant in protecting our own religious
    freedoms, for we know that an attack on any group imperils all. Dr.
    Martin Luther King once said that ``injustice anywhere is a threat to
    justice everywhere.'' It clearly applies to the principle of religious
    liberty.
        And we know now that if we want the kind of world for our children
    that we are laboring so hard to build for the 21st century*--for this
    one in particular--[laughter]--exhibit A--[laughter]--our struggle for
    liberty cannot end at our borders. There are many countries, far too
    many, where religious believers still suffer in darkness, where
    governments ban religious practices or force an officially sanctioned
    creed on nonbelievers; people are harassed, imprisoned, tortured,
    sometimes even executed for daring to live by their beliefs.
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        *At this point, a baby cried.
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        On the other hand, we know that when religious diversity is
    respected, it fosters a sense of community and solidarity. Religious
    hatred fuels violence, as we have seen too often. So we promote both
    religious freedom and religious tolerance. They are two sides of the
    same coin, each necessary for the other's success.
        Secretary Albright and I, as she
    said so eloquently, have made promotion of religious freedom around the
    world a top priority. I have had extensive discussions on the subject
    with President Yeltsin, as all of you know,
    and with other world leaders. State Department officials here and
    overseas now give greater attention to religious persecution and other
    religious liberty issues then ever before. We have a high-level advisory
    committee on which many of you serve, and I thank you for the work you
    have done.
        Now Secretary Albright is creating
    a new position, a Senior Adviser for International Religious Freedom, to
    make sure that religious liberty concerns get high and close attention
    in our foreign policy. And I am pleased to announce the appointment
    today of the gentleman to my right, Dr. Robert Seiple, to the job. As President of World Vision United States, he
    has applied skill and determination to World Vision's faith-based
    struggle against poverty in more than 100 countries. To this position he
    brings a genuinely unusual combination of deep personal faith, sweeping
    global perspective, the toughness and determination of a Marine Vietnam
    veteran, and an extraordinary proven capacity for leadership. He is here
    with his family, and in a moment I want to ask him to say a few words.
    But we thank you for your willingness to serve.
        Let me just say one word about how we should continue to pursue this
    cause. I have been deeply touched that, as the presence of these Members
    of Congress shows, there is a universal determination I think in our
    country among all our decisionmakers to advance the cause of religious
    liberty. It crosses party; it crosses region; it crosses philosophy; it
    crosses different religious faiths. There is some difference of opinion
    about how we can best proceed.
        My belief is that we have to be both principled and resourceful. We
    need to be doing what works. We need to be dedicated to achieving
    results. And therefore I hope that Congress will not only express its
    strong support and give us the tools to do the job but leave us as much
    flexibility as possible to advance the cause of religious freedom
    consistent with what can be done and how it can best be done, nation by
    nation. America is not strengthened in fighting for religious liberty or
    in fighting against religious persecution by laws that are so rigid a
    President's hands are tied.
        As we intensify our efforts to promote religious liberty, I know we
    can count on the support of people of faith all over this country.
        Abraham Lincoln, whose determination to defend our liberty cost him
    his life, once said, ``The fight must go on. The cause of liberty must
    not be surrendered at the end of one, or even 100, defeats.'' Many of
    you in this room have been part of those defeats. But at the end of all
    of them there lies ultimate victory. That is what we must believe; that
    is the reality we must create.
        Again, let me thank you all and now ask Dr. Seiple to come forward to make a few remarks.
        Thank you very much.

    [[Page 986]]

    Note: The President spoke at 3:08 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to Rabbi Arthur Schneier,
    president, Appeal of Conscience Foundation; Archbishop Theodore E.
    McCarrick, Archbishop of Newark; Rev. Don Argue, former president,
    National Association of Evangelicals; President Jiang Zemin of China;
    and President Boris Yeltsin of Russia.