Speaking from a pulpit where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, delivered a sermon this morning at a national prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
“As a country we have gathered this morning to pray for unity, as a people and a nation,” Budde began. “Not for agreement, political or otherwise. But for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division — a unity that serves the common good.”
Seated in the front row were both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, alongside their families, upholding the tradition that the new leaders of the nation attend a prayer service at the National Cathedral following inauguration. With the newly inaugurated leaders in attendance, Budde’s words felt especially pointed as she preached that “the culture of contempt that has become normalized in this country threatens to destroy us.”
After building on the themes of unity, Budde preached that “unity is not partisan” but instead “is a way of being with one another that encompasses and respects our differences; that teaches us to hold multiple perspectives and life experiences as valid and worthy of respect; that enables us in our communities and in the halls of power to genuinely care for one another even when we disagree.”
She continued, outlining the principles that make real unity possible, including respect for the dignity of all, honesty, and humility. But before her sermon concluded, Budde addressed the president directly:
“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.
And the people, the people who pick our crops, and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking 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, gurdwaras, 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.”
After the service, a reporter queried Trump for his thoughts on the service. “Not too exciting, was it?” he replied. I didn’t think it was a good service, no … they can do much better.”
Budde, who has been bishop of the Diocese of Washington since 2011, previously critiqued Trump in 2020 when he posed with a Bible in front of St. John’s Lafayette Square, an Episcopal church in D.C. Before his photo-op, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse peaceful crowds gathered in a nearby park to protest police brutality against Black people.
Following the 2020 photo-op, Budde told Washington Post reporter Michelle Boorstein that she was “outraged” that the administration had not informed her that they would be clearing protesters with tear gas “so they could use one of our churches as a prop.” She pointed out that the Bible Trump held proclaims “God is love,” but “everything [Trump] has said and done is to enflame violence.”
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