Press Release

Former Canadian Ambassador for Religious Freedom Dr. Andrew Bennett Joins the Religious Freedom Institute

04/10/2018 Washington, D.C. (Religious Freedom Institute) — The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) is delighted to announce that Canada’s former Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Dr. Andrew Bennett, has joined RFI as a Senior Fellow. He will serve as a leader of the Institute’s Action Teams for International Religious Freedom Policy and for North America.

Religious Freedom Institute President Thomas Farr welcomed the appointment. “Dr. Andrew Bennett is deeply committed to religious freedom for all people, and his commitment is matched by superb diplomatic credentials. His experience dealing with disparate threats to religious freedom around the world, including in Western democracies, strengthens the Religious Freedom Institute’s ability to address the growing international crisis in religious freedom.”

Dr. Bennett served in the Canadian Foreign Service as Canada’s first Ambassador for Religious Freedom and Head of Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom. During his tenure, he traveled worldwide to defend and advance this fundamental human right as a core element of Canada’s foreign policy. Rev. Dr. Bennett is an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in the Eparchy (Diocese) of Toronto and Eastern Canada.

Dr. Bennett also serves as Program Director of Cardus Law in Ottawa, a program of Cardus, a Canadian think tank dedicated to the renewal of North American social architecture. In that capacity, Dr. Bennett examines issues of religious freedom and public faith in Canada, providing a complement to his work with the Religious Freedom Institute on advancing religious freedom in North America.

Dr. Bennett responded to his appointment: “I am delighted to be joining the Religious Freedom Institute in this critical moment for the future of religious freedom around the world, including in North America. The Religious Freedom Institute has the leadership, vision, and policy savvy to be the leading institute in the Western world engaging questions of religious freedom at both a theoretical and practical level. Within North America, we are deeply committed to reviving in law and culture the meaning and value of religious freedom for all citizens as we seek to inhabit the public square where we live out our deeply held beliefs.”

As a member of the International Religious Freedom Policy Action Team, Dr. Bennett will lead RFI’s efforts to drive strategic thinking on the value of religious freedom in foreign policy. The Religious Freedom Institute promotes a robust understanding of the many ways in which religion and religious freedom make contributions to public life and the common good.