WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., emphasized the importance of protecting religious liberties internationally on Monday while helping mark the first meetings in the nation's capital on the subject.
In remarks given during the International Religious Freedom Summit's Kick-Off Breakfast, Hill said the gathering plays an important part in advocating for protecting worship in other countries.
"It is something that galvanizes each of you to be here today, and certainly, it has motivated me and my work in Congress," the lawmaker from Little Rock said during the event at the U.S. Capitol.
The IRF Summit attracts political figures and people of different faiths to discuss restrictions affecting the ability to study or follow certain religions. For instance, Monday's initial meeting was hosted by Belmont House, which is part of Belmont Abbey College, a private Catholic institution located near Charlotte, N.C.
The breakfast preceded meetings on Capitol Hill between advocates and lawmakers.
Sam Brownback, the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom during the Trump administration, said Republicans and Democrats are interested in protecting religious liberties in other countries.
"This is the breakthrough week. This is when people will say, 'OK, this topic goes to the next level,'" Brownback said. "It's a major foreign policy issue, it's going global, and we're going to push it from both parties."
Hill served as the congressional co-chair of last year's summit. Organizers of this year's event noted Hill's presence in how Congress handles international issues; he is a member of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees.
"All of us, each day as we walk towards the dome of the Capitol on the way to work, we think about our forebearers, and one of the principles of Madison, Jefferson and Washington, of course, is the importance of freedom of religion or belief," the congressman said. "It's enshrined in this building and its every crack and corner."
Hill cited multiple ongoing situations involving religious freedom, including China's treatment of Uyghurs and Muslim minority groups and attacks on Egypt's Coptic Christian community.
"The religious freedom issue is not going away. It's never been more important," he said.
Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, said advocates are fighting for an issue to better the international religious community.
"I'm a little afraid seeing how trivial the focus of our lives have become. You know, how many likes you have on this social media platform, or how many friends on that social media platform," she said.
"As I look at the weird gap between the magnitude of the challenges we face and the triviality of so many concerns, I'm reminded of a phrase that I once heard, which is that too many people live in the thick of thin things. ... That is not an epitaph any one of us wants to have once we're gone."
The IRF Summit will have forums and other events through Wednesday. The meetings preface the National Prayer Breakfast, a separate religious event scheduled for Thursday at the U.S. Capitol.
Former Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor leads the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, which will host the event for the first time after taking control from the International Foundation.