For the last time as commander in chief, President Obama spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC Thursday morning. During his address, the president discussed the ways in which faith can mitigate fear.
Fear, he said, can lead to despair and cause people to lash out at one another and alienate others. In his life, Obama said he struggles with the fear that his children are growing up too fast. "Will some harm befall them?" the president mused. "Did you miss some central moment in their lives?"
"For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear," Obama said.
The president also urged unity between people of different faith, and asked that they "respect the right of every single American to practice their religion."
Organized by Christian organization The Fellowship Foundation and hosted by members of the United States Congress, this annual event brings the nation's leaders together to acknowledge the roles of faith and prayer in civic discourse.
On his part, Obama has frequently used the prayer breakfast as an opportunity to discuss his own faith and at times to call out those who would point fingers at another faith.
The National Prayer Breakfast comes one day after Obama visited a U.S. mosque for the first time during his presidency. The president addressed the Muslim American community, saying:
“We have to understand that an attack on one faith is an attack on all our faiths. When any religious group is targeted we all have a responsibility to speak up."
Watch the full National Prayer Breakfast above.
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