Trump honors Pentecost, the ‘birth’ of Jesus Christ’s ‘holy and living Church’

(LifeSiteNews) — President Donald Trump this week issued a message in honor of the feast of Pentecost, which he noted celebrates the “birth” of Jesus Christ’s “holy and living Church.”

“Today, I join in prayer with Christians joyfully celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,” read the White House message, which was published on Pentecost Sunday. “We commemorate the fulfillment of Jesus Christ’s earthly mission and the birth of His holy and living Church.”

The message explained that on Pentecost, “50 days after Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday, the Holy Spirit descended upon His Apostles in the form of a mighty wind—empowering them to speak in tongues and proclaim the good news of the Gospel to lands and peoples near and far.”

Trump used the feast day as an opportunity to “honor all Christians who, like the Apostles, have willingly endured persecution because of their faith.” While Pentecost launched the Christian evangelization of the world, the apostles were indeed persecuted as they converted people around the world to Christianity, and according to tradition, all of the apostles except John were martyred.

“My Administration will always defend the right of every American to worship God freely and without fear,” stated Trump, who added that for this purpose, he created the White House Faith Office and the White House Religious Liberty Commission.

About six weeks ago, Trump appointed Bishop Robert Barron and Cardinal Timothy Dolan to the newly formed White House Religious Liberty Commission, which he established to "advise the White House Faith Office and the Domestic Policy Council on religious liberty policies of the United States,” focusing on areas such as First Amendment rights, attacks on houses of worship, debanking and censorship, conscience protections for vaccination, parental rights, and prayer and religious instruction at public schools.