The temporary closing because of terror threats of 19 US embassies across the Mideast, Africa and Asia this week highlighted the complex nature of diplomatic work in some of the world’s major hotspots. Among the challenges, critics have long charged that the US government hasn’t done a good enough job in acknowledging the role of religion in foreign policy. At a State Department ceremony on Wednesday (August 7), Secretary of State John Kerry officially launched a new Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives, which he said would help build better relationships with religious leaders and organizations in the US and abroad.

Watch our report from the State Department and our interview with Shaun Casey.