Former Pastor Mark Walker Appointed U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom

Mark Walker has been appointed as the new U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. His candidacy for this position was nominated by Donald Trump last week. This is reported on Trump’s account on Truth Social.

Walker was previously a Baptist pastor and served in communities in North Carolina. From 2015 to 2021, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he held the position of Vice President of the Republican Conference in the lower chamber. During the 2024 election campaign, Walker headed Trump’s team on matters related to religious and minority communities.

The new ambassador has already outlined his plans for his role:

“Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. Whether it’s a university campus in New York or countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, I will relentlessly fight for those who are persecuted for living according to their faith.”

It is worth noting that representatives of the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church and the Pühtitsa Stauropegial Monastery have approached the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, claiming discriminatory pressure from Estonian authorities. In an official letter signed by lawyers Steven-Hristo Evestus and Arthur Knyazev, they discuss legislative changes that, according to the petitioners, violate freedom of religion and threaten the existence of the church community.