SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Assalamu alaikum and Ramadan Kareem. I’m very honored to be with you. I’m holding this mike very close because I was in the Arctic the other day. You can hear my voice. I caught a cold. I think I got too close to the icebergs.
But it’s an honor for me to be here. Shaarik, thank you for a very generous introduction. More importantly, thank you for your wonderful service to the United States State Department. I think all of you can feel his energy and his enthusiasm, can’t you? And he is doing a terrific job for the State Department. (Applause.)
A wonderful good evening to you all. I want to express my appreciation to Imam Pastor Magid and also to Pastor Imam Roberts – (laughter) – very appreciative for their – very grateful for their wonderful words of faith, their words of an expression of our common ground that brings us here, and which more and more people really need to understand. And to all of the distinguished leaders of faith who are here, particularly if you don’t mind if I single out my old friend, His Eminence Cardinal McCarrick, who is such a wonderful leader here. (Applause.) I want to thank you all for hosting us here today. I’m looking out at this audience, and I want to know why there are more cameras focused on Angelina Jolie than me. What’s going on here, guys? (Laughter.)To read the rest of Lurch's comments and watch video, visit Remarks at the Interfaith Iftar Reception at the State Department's web site.
