President Trump hosted a National Day of Prayer service at the White House on Thursday with religious leaders from around the country.
“Today we give thanks for this magnificent country and we proudly come together as one nation under God,” Trump said at the start of the service.
According to CBS News, the President and Melania Trump hosted the service in the White House Rose Garden where the president asked for prayer for Venezuela and called for the protection of religious freedom amid the recent string of attacks on houses of worship across the United States and all over the world.
Among his guests were rabbi Yisroel Goldstein who survived the San Diego synagogue shooting last week.
In a video of the service Trump said, “As we unite on this day of prayer, we renew our resolve to protect communities of faith and to ensure that all people, and all of our people, can live and pray and worship in peace.”
The President made mention of several incidents on houses of worship in the U.S. including the arson of three historically black churches in Louisiana and the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue last year. He said, “In recent months, it’s been pretty tough. We’ve seen evil and hate-filled attacks on religious communities in the United States and all around the world,” Trump said. “One month ago, three historically black churches were burned tragically in Louisiana. In Sri Lanka and New Zealand, hundreds of Christians and Muslims were brutally murdered at their places of worship. In October, an anti-Semitic killer attacked the Tree of Life synagogue.”
According to CBS News, the president then called for an end to anti-Semitism, which Christian Headlines previously reported is on the rise in the United States. President Trump said, “We will fight with all our strength and everything that we have in our bodies to defeat anti-Semitism, to end the attacks on the Jewish people and to conquer all forms of persecution, intolerance and hate. You know that. You know that, rabbi,” President Trump said while speaking to Rabbi Goldstein. “Every citizen has the absolute right to live according to the teachings of their faith and the convictions of their heart. This is the bedrock of American life,” the President added.
The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 when President Harry Truman signed a joint resolution of Congress declaring it a day of observation when citizens can “turn to God in prayer and meditation.” This is the third consecutive year that the White House has hosted a National Day of Prayer service.
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla/Staff
Video courtesy: Fox News
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