Faith Leaders in Washington D.C. Pray For Religious Freedom

Washington, D.C., United States – The Washington, D.C. chapter of UPF-USA joined with members of the “Peace Starts With Me Alliance,” including the FFWPU-Capital Family Church and American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), in hosting a Religious Freedom Prayer Luncheon on October 16, 2025. Despite receiving only a week’s notice, 40 faith leaders and community leaders attended the prayer program, which was held in the Beech Room at The Washington Times building.

Senior Pastor Dr. Achile Acolatse called on faith leaders and UPF ambassadors for peace to unite in praying for an end to religious persecution, especially of Christian communities in South Korea. UPF co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han is among those who have been unfairly indicted; she is currently in detention, along with other Christian leaders.

“The Mother of Peace is in a detention center, and other pastors and clergy are also being detained for expressing their freedom of speech and religion,” Dr. Achile Acolatse said. “These are not distant problems, they are serious problems of our age. And they call each one of us to respond. Let’s offer a sacred devotion to Heaven, asking God to guide us in how we can protect this precious gift of religious freedom.”

Dr. Michael Jenkins, president of UPF-North America, quoted from an article published in The Washington Times on October 10, 2025:

“Mother Han, 82, is the co-founder and spiritual leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, a movement with millions of followers worldwide. She has spent decades promoting peace, interfaith dialogue, and humanitarian cooperation. Her arrest and now formal indictment are not just attacks on her person – they are attacks on religious liberty, on democratic norms, and on the very idea that faith can coexist with dissent.”

Other faith leaders prayed for the immediate release of all religious leaders currently in detention. They included Bishop Keith Allen of the Senior Rehoboth Church in Christ Jesus Apostolic in Baltimore; Bishop John Watts of the Kingdom Life Church in Maryland; Bishop Richard Mosley; Imam Qadir Abdus-Salaam of The Nation’s Mosque; Dr. Surinder Singh Gill representing the Sikhs of USA, and Muslim faith leader Ms. Anila Ali.

Bishop John Watts concluded the event, urging all faiths to unite in the spirit of truth and reconciliation. A moment of silence concluded the program, affirming the shared belief that faith, love, and justice will prevail over injustice and oppression.

By Tomiko Duggan, Senior Vice President, UPF-USA October 16, 2025