===========================================================================
President Bush Attends United Nations High-Level Debate on Interfaith
Dialogue
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary November 13, 2008

President Bush Attends United Nations High-Level Debate on Interfaith
Dialogue United Nations Headquarters New York, New York

˙ /news/releases/2008/11/20081113-2.wm.v.html ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio ˙˙Photos ˙˙En Espa¤ol

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Global Diplomacy

11:00 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary General, distinguished guests, ladies and
gentlemen: Laura and I are pleased to be back here at the United Nations,
and I am grateful for the opportunity to once again address the General
Assembly.

I want to thank King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia for his leadership and for
convincing us all to come together to speak about faith. I appreciate the
participants who recognize the transformative and uplifting power of faith.

One of my core beliefs is that there is an Almighty God -- and that every
man, woman, and child on the face of this Earth bears His image. Many years
ago, faith changed my life. Faith has sustained me through the challenges
and the joys of my Presidency. And faith will guide me for the rest of my
days.

I know many of the leaders gathered in this assembly have been influenced
by faith, as well. We may profess different creeds and worship in different
places, but our faith leads us to common values. We believe God calls us to
love our neighbors, and to treat one another with compassion and respect.
We believe God calls us to honor the dignity of all life, and to speak
against cruelty and injustice. We believe God calls us to live in peace --
and to oppose all those who use His name to justify violence and murder.

Freedom is God's gift to every man, woman, and child -- and that freedom
includes the right of all people to worship as they see fit. Sixty years
ago, members of the United Nations General Assembly acknowledged this truth
when we adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration
proclaims that everyone has the right to choose or change religions, and
the right to worship in private or in public.

The United States strongly supported the adoption of the Universal
Declaration -- in fact, the American delegation was led by a former First
Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. When we voted for the Universal Declaration, the
American people reaffirmed a conviction that dates back to our earliest
days. Our nation was founded by people seeking haven from religious
persecution. The First Amendment of our Constitution guarantees the "free
exercise" of religion for all. And through the generations, our nation has
helped defend the religious liberty of others -- from liberating the
concentration camps of Europe, to protecting Muslims in places like Kosovo,
Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Today, the United States is carrying on that noble tradition by making
religious liberty a central element of our foreign policy. We've
established a Commission on the International Religious Freedom to monitor
the state of religious liberty worldwide. We strongly encourage nations to
understand that religious freedom is the foundation of a healthy and
hopeful society. We're not afraid to stand with religious dissidents and
believers who practice their faith, even where it is unwelcome.

One of the best ways to safeguard religious freedom is to aid the rise of
democracy. Democratic governments don't all look alike. Each reflects the
history and traditions of its own people. But one way -- but one of the
defining features of any democracy is that it makes room for people of all
backgrounds and all faiths. Democracies allow people with diverse views to
discuss their differences and live in harmony.

The expansion of democracy also represents the most promising path to
peace. People who are free to express their opinions can challenge the
ideologies of hate. They can defend their religious beliefs and speak out
against those seeking to twist them to evil ends. They can prevent their
children from falling under the sway of extremists by giving them a more
hopeful alternative.

Over the past eight years, I've been privileged to see how freedom and
faith can lift up lives and lead the world toward peace. I remember clearly
a congregation in the state of Kansas in my country whose members stayed
together and prayed together, even when a tornado had torn down their
church. I've seen faithful caregivers on the continent of Africa who take
AIDS patients given up for dead and restore them to health. I have seen
mothers across the Middle East whose faith leads them to dream of a better
and more peaceful future for their children -- a dream shared by mothers
all around the world.

I appreciate every nation participating in today's dialogue. Through
dialogue we can draw closer to the day when our prayers for freedom and
peace are answered -- and every person on Earth enjoys the rights and
dignity granted by an Almighty God.

God bless. (Applause.)

END 11:06 A.M. EST

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/11/20081113-2.html