Monday, December 19, 2011

Congress Funds Rel. Freedom Comm. Thru 2018; Commission Is Watchdog of Rel. Liberty Abusers

The California Catholic website reports today (December 19, 2011) that a U.S. federal commission -- whose primary function is to support religious freedom around the world -- has been reauthorized by Congress through 2018, just hours before it was scheduled to go out of existence.

In a statement after the U.S. House vote on December 16, Rep. Frank Wolf, R-VA, described the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom as "a beacon of hope" for those whose religious liberty is under attack.

The commission's funding was set to expire at 5 p.m. on December 16.

The commission advises the president, Congress, and the State Department on the status of religious freedom. It also presents an annual report on religious liberty abusers, and recommends that countries that severely violate religious freedom be designated as "countries of particular concern," sometimes referred to as "the international hall of shame."

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