𝗕𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗣 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗟𝗚𝗕𝗧𝗤~𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗥 "𝗡𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗬"

 From the editor: Below is a full text of the Sermon given by Bishop Mariann Budde in a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral.

After the sermon, President Trump described Budde's remarks as "nasty in tone, not compelling or smart.  

Trump's Press Secretary Karoline  Leavitt said the bishop had "weaponized the pulpit" and should "apologize to President Trump."

Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) called Budde a "woke bishop," while Rep. Mike Collins (R-Georgia) said the bishop "should be added to the deportation list," despite being born in New Jersey.

Bishop Mariann Budde

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. 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…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras 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. 

Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world.   Amen”