Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde: A courageous plea for mercy
Falls on deaf ears
At the interfaith national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who has served as the Bishop of Washington since 2011, said this to Trump:
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. We're scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. And the people, 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 who 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, mosques and 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. 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 in this nation and the world. Amen.
In those brief words, Bishop Budde was able to ask eloquently and simply that Trump not do the harm he has promised. You can watch the video here to judge for yourself the facial expressions of Trump, Vance, and their family members as they listened to her.
Trump’s response after the service was negative and dismissive. Later in the day, when asked about the service, he said he didn’t think it was good and that they “could do much better.” 1
“Bishop Pleads for Mercy at Trump’s Prayer Service” is trending on what used to be Twitter and is now X, a cesspool of red vitriol. While there are some posts grateful to Bishop Budde, many of Trump’s cronies offered vile opinions about her sermon. For example, Republican U.S. Representative Mike Collins from Georgia said, "The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list." Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, said she “disgraced herself with a lecture you might hear on CNN or The View.” Others called the sermon “weaponized,” “trans propaganda,” said she should be fired, said she is trans, and that the National Cathedral has become “a sanctuary of Satan.”
An Episcopalian bishop asking Trump for mercy for powerless, marginalized, and persecuted groups in our country should not evoke such incredible depths of hate and fury from MAGA/Republicans. This level of hate and anger is so far beyond being mere political differences. We are a country where people live in two very different realities. It is very frightening.
What we learn about courage from Bishop Budde
Courage requires using the platforms we have to speak the truth. Bishop Budde has a significant and prominent public platform—the Washington National Cathedral. Most importantly, she had the courage to use it to speak what she and so many of us believe to be true. We all have different platforms and different opportunities to speak up and say what we believe to be right. Doing so is courageous.
Courage requires the fortitude to face hate. Bishop Budde must have known that by publicly asking Trump to have mercy, she would face criticism from his base; maybe she was even aware of the depths of the anger and vitriol that would be directed toward her. Nevertheless, she persisted.
Even if speaking truth falls on deaf ears, we must do it anyway. Bishop Budde’s words are not going to change any of the heinous things Trump has already done and plans to do in this second term. That doesn’t matter. Her words are also not likely to change the hearts of the majority of MAGA members, even those who profess to be Christians. But maybe one or two will hear, or seeds will be planted.
Courage does not require shouting. Although Bishop Budde is most likely horrified and angry by what she sees and fears happening, she spoke gently and respectfully and therefore quite powerfully. That is hard to do, especially when facing such blatant cruelty and injustice. It is a good lesson to learn.
Courage is contagious. I felt stronger and more courageous (and hopeful) after listening to Bishop Budde. Hopefully there will be many, many more religious leaders and others in our country who will speak out against the evil (yes, evil) actions that Trump and his minions are perpetuating.
What we can do
Thank Bishop Budde for her courage and speaking for so many of us. She is already receiving incredible negative blowback from MAGA people. Messages can be sent to her on her Facebook and Instagram accounts or by email.
Use our platforms. Bishop Budde spoke truth to power and articulated religious/human values when she used her platform to directly address Trump and ask him to be merciful. We are not likely to have the opportunity to speak directly to Trump, but we are not powerless. We need to identify the platforms we do have and figure out how to use them to speak truth and advocate for the LBGTQ+ community, immigrants, and other targets of Trump’s racism and vengeance. And we need to use our platforms to speak to the hate and anger of MAGA people, particularly those who hold elected office.
EnCourage other religious leaders. Other religious leaders at all levels need to be enCouraged to speak out against the rampant social injustice wrought by the Trump administration. It is vital that they speak up for the marginalized and persecuted. If your religious leader won't speak out against injustice, it may be time to find another place to worship.
Conclusion
Let’s fantasize for a moment that somewhere in Trump’s heart or soul he had the capacity to be moved by Bishop Budde’s heartfelt plea. What if somewhere in him there was a shred of compassion or empathy that allowed him to think of the fear and the pain he is causing thousands and thousands of people by his decisions and actions? Forget it. It is a fantasy. He has shown us who he is, and we must believe him. Our job, in doing what we can with our platforms, is to find courage like Bishop Budde found, to hold onto and speak the truth, and enCourage others to do so also. No matter what.
A sociopath has no compassion or empathy.
You’re right-it takes courage to speak truth (God’s truth) to power and Bishop Budde is courageous when she must be aware of the hateful, dangerous outcry she will get. Bravo!
Thank you, very insightful!🌱