The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (AEP) congratulates the Hon. Marco A. Rubio upon his assumption of office as the 72nd United States Secretary of State; Secretary Rubio took office on Jan. 20, 2025 after being confirmed by a 99-0 vote in the U.S. Senate. Secretary Rubio has a longtime concern for human rights and religious freedom: he was a featured speaker at the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Third International Conference on Religious Freedom, which was held in Washington, D.C. from December 4 to 6, 2017.
Other featured speakers included His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America; Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former Chairman, Helsinki Commission; Reince Priebus, Former White House Chief of Staff and former Chairman of the Republican National Committee; U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross; and others.
At that conference, then-Senator Rubio emphasized that with the increasing persecution of Christians in the Middle East, complacency with the current situation was not an option for the United States. “We must move on with a sense of urgency,” Rubio stated. That call has only grown all the more urgent in the intervening years.
Rubio also asked: “Will we stand with our persecuted brothers and sisters in the hour of their suffering?” Then he added: “I pray the answer is yes. The issue of international religious freedom is deeply personal to me, and something that I have dedicated much of my time advancing since first joining the Senate.”
“No faith and no region are untouched,” Rubio pointed out, “but it is the persecution of Christians which has reached staggering levels. The full measure of human suffering exacted against these innocent people of faith remains truly incalculable. As it relates to ISIS atrocities, they have rightly been called genocide… But words alone are hollow unless action follows, and we must be moved to action to preserve the very cradle of our faith.”
Rubio declared: “If the United States fails to take meaningful steps to support these communities, including ensuring their access to humanitarian assistance and resources they need to rebuild, even more of them will be forced to abandon their ancient homeland.”
The AEP thanks Secretary Rubio once again for the ringing defense of the world’s persecuted Christians that he delivered at the Archons’ Third International Conference on Religious Freedom, and looks forward to working with him on this all-important issue during his tenure as secretary of state.