The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
In his second speech in three days before global faith leaders in Washington, D.C., Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stressed the importance of compassion in religious freedom advocacy.
Compassion, the Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, takes root in the soil of a regard for the dignity and rights of every individual.
“Without compassion, we are merely strangers and foreigners to each other. With compassion, we see each other with new eyes, as brothers and sisters,” Elder Soares said during a lunch on the final day of the 2025 International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit at the Washington Hilton on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. “Compassion goes beyond tolerance — it calls us to understand and engage with those who are different. It should be the driving force behind our shared efforts for conscience and religious freedom. Compassion must not just be an ideal, but a practice we nurture through daily actions, guiding our efforts for greater religious freedom worldwide.”
Elder Soares has been in the nation’s capital since Monday building bridges of understanding with faith leaders from many nations. More than 90 organizations representing more than 30 faith traditions participated in the summit to discuss ways to advance international religious freedom.
According to IRF, nearly 80% of people around the world live in countries with high levels of restrictions on religion.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
