Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints addressed hundreds of global faith leaders at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2, emphasizing that protection of religious freedom is essential for nations to flourish.
“There’s a mountain of evidence that shows the power of religious freedom in building families, communities and nations,” Elder Nash told hundreds of faith leaders during a Church-sponsored luncheon.
Elder Nash continued: “Religious freedom is in peril in many places around the world. To the degree religious freedom is embraced, it will bless the peoples of the earth and their nations.”
More than 90 organizations representing 30 faith traditions attended the two-day event to discuss strategies for advancing international religious freedom, according to a Feb. 4 news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Elder Nash said the topic of religious freedom holds personal significance for him, as several of his ancestors suffered persecution for their religious beliefs. He recounted the story of Christian J. Larsen, his third-great-grandfather, who faced severe persecution for his faith in Denmark and Norway. Larsen was among the first to join the Church in Denmark in 1850.
He quoted the Church’s 11th article of faith: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”
Said Elder Nash: “We all want the world to be a better place, a place of peace, human dignity, a place of hope where humankind can flourish.”
He continued: “Religious freedom is our first, last and always best hope of cultivating good and worthy principles in the minds and souls of the people, so that we learn to act together, to learn to differ without demonizing, disagree without being disagreeable — to work with others with opposing views to forge common ground instead of seeking to dominate.”
This marks the second consecutive year that a senior Church leader has participated in the IRF Summit. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at the event in 2025.
On Feb. 3, Elder Nash participated in an on-stage panel discussion with other religious leaders at the Global Faith Forum. The panel discussion was led by Baptist Pastor Bob Roberts Jr. of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network.
“[Pastor Roberts] has learned to listen, to get to know people and to see people of different faith backgrounds — such as Muslim and Jew — to see people who are Christian, but with different perspectives on doctrine, and realize that there’s good in all of them and that it really makes no sense for us to be at each other when we could be with each other,” Elder Nash said.
Other panelists included Dr. Miroslav Volf, director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture; Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, president of Zaytuna College; His Excellency, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar and chair of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue; Diana Aviv, CEO of Partnership for American Democracy; and His Eminence Shyalpa Rinpoche of the Universal Peace Sanctuary.
“It’s a privilege to engage in the Lord’s work. It’s a privilege to engage with our fellow brothers and sisters and to have dialogue and work together to forge that common ground, because a lot of good happens as we do,” Elder Nash said.
“The only real way for this to occur is for us to listen to one another, work to bridge the gap with shared values, repair the breach and then work together. In essence, we are to be peacemakers.”
