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Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar is pledg­ing that her gov­ern­ment will up­hold free­dom of re­li­gious ex­pres­sion, as she calls on church­es to help unite the na­tion and of­fer refuge to those in need.

In her first pub­lic ap­pear­ance since de­clar­ing the State of Emer­gency, Per­sad-Bisses­sar told mem­bers of the New Tes­ta­ment Church of God Caribbean As­sem­bly that while the state has its re­spon­si­bil­i­ties, the church must take a lead­ing role in shap­ing the moral and so­cial fab­ric of the na­tion.

“Gov­ern­ments can pass all the laws they want, they can try to build all the roads they want, they can try to build all the schools and all the hos­pi­tals that we want, but it is a church—of­ten it is the church—which binds. It is a church that stud­ies us, stud­ies the fright­ened. The church in­spires hope and as­sures us we are loved and pro­tect­ed by the great­est, most pow­er­ful au­thor­i­ty, our beloved Lord,” the Prime Min­is­ter said.