The Episcopalian Bishop of Washington, Marriann Budde, has used a prayer service at Washington’s National Cathedral to call on the incoming US President Donald Trump to extend mercy to marginal groups, NPR reports.
During a 15-minute sermon, the Episcopalian Bishop made several direct appeals to President Trump, who was seated in the front row alongside Vice President JD Vance, first lady Milania Trump, and second lady Usha Vance.
“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,” Bishop Budde said.
“Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”
“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
“The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they – they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbours,” Bishop Budde said.
“They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”
“I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land.”
Trump unmoved
President Trump appeared to be disinterested throughout the service, only looking up during the hymns and occasionally moving to music. He later told reporters Bishop Budde’s sermon, “wasn’t too exciting” and that he “didn’t think it was a good service.”
“They could do much better,” he said.
The second Trump Administration’s early agenda included signing a record number of executive orders. These included one insisting that government documents only recognise a person’s sex at the time of birth, as well as another rescinding restrictions on the price of insulin. The President is also aiming to end birthright citizenship, which extends citizenship to all people born within the United States.
Bishop Budde has criticised President Trump in the past. In 2020, Trump appeared outside a church for a photo opportunity holding a Bible. During this event, a number of protesters were dispersed by law enforcements using chemical weapons. In response, the Bishop said, “Everything he has said and done is to inflame violence… We need moral leadership, and he’s done everything to divide us.”
The Bible contains over 2,000 verses about the poor and vulnerable, according toa study carried out by US group Sojourners. Washington’s church leaders have often used their pulpit to criticise leaders who profess faith. In April 2024, Washington’s Catholic Cardinal, Wilton Gregory, said President Joe Biden was akin to a, “cafeteria Catholic” who was “sincere” in his faith but ignored certain church teachings as did, “a number of other Catholics.”
Jonathan Foye is a freelance editor and academic.
