US President Donald Trump Signs Order to Protect Religious Freedom "Prayer has always been at the center....America is a nation of believers..."

"During the annual National Day of Prayer commemoration at the White House on Thursday, President Trump signed the latest executive order of his presidency, to establish a faith-based office, the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. He said it would focus on protecting religious freedom and ensuring that 'the faith-based and community organizations that form the bedrock of our society have strong advocates in the White House and throughout the federal government,'" reports CBS.

At the Rose Garden ceremony, President Trump explained,

"Prayer has always been at the center of the American life. America is a nation of believers, and together we are strengthened by the power of prayer," 

"In addition to making recommendations to the administration, the office will also inform the administration of 'any failures of the executive branch to comply with religious liberty protections under law.'

"The initiative will be led by a newly appointed White House adviser to the group and will be supported by various faith leaders from outside the federal government. The order also aims to ensure faith based organizations have 'equal access to government funding and equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs.'

"We take this step because we know that in solving the many many problems and our great challenges, faith is more powerful than government and nothing is more powerful than God," said Pres. Trump. 

"First, the administration prioritized religious freedom in its recently released National Security Strategy, stating: 'The United States also remains committed to supporting and advancing religious freedom — America’s first freedom.'

"It adds: '[The United States] will advocate on behalf of religious freedom and threatened minorities. Religious minorities continue to be victims of violence. We will place a priority on protecting these groups and will continue working with regional partners to protect minority communities from attacks and to preserve their cultural heritage.”