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The US State Department will be reaching out more to religious leaders and communities at home and abroad, news reports quoted Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kerry announced on Wednesday the creation of a new “Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives” within the State Department.
“I want you to go out and engage religious leaders and faith-based communities in our day-to-day work,” Kerry told State Department workers.
“Build strong relationships with them and listen to their insights and understand the important contributions that they can make individually and that we can make together,” he added.
The State Department said the new office will set department policy on engagement with faith-based communities and will work in conjunction with bureaus and posts to reach out to those communities to advance the Department’s diplomacy and development objectives.
“It will also work closely with faith communities to ensure that their voices are heard in the foreign policy process, including through continued collaboration with the Department’s religion and foreign policy working group,” it added.
The new office has been met with a mix of excitement and apprehension from noted policy analysts and religious scholars, who realize the important role that religion plays in civil and political society while questioning the role of government in such circles.
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News category: World.
