Washington bishop pleas with Trump to ‘have mercy’ on ‘scared’ LGBTQ+ children
The Right Rev. Mariann Budde spoke about LGBTQ+ children "in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives"
By Gary Grimes
Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, has ruffled feathers in the Trump administration after she used her homily to appeal to the president to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community.
Addressing Trump, who sat in attendance, at an inaugural prayer service sermon at the Washington National Cathedral, the reverend said: “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
“You have felt the providential hand of a loving God,” she added, in reference to Trump’s inaugural address in which he suggested God protected him from the bullet fired at him in a July 2024 assassination attempt. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now,” she continued.
The reverend Budde also took the opportunity to appeal to Trump over the plight of immigrants in the US, reports the Guardian.
“The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” Budde said. “They pay taxes, and are good neighbours. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques and synagogues, gurdwara and temples. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land.”
Trump has responded angrily to Budde on his Truth Social platform, writing: “The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart … She and her church owe the public an apology!”
The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list. pic.twitter.com/d7a2z1CM6s
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) January 21, 2025
Budde’s appeal to the president comes after he signed an executive order demanding federal agencies to only recognise two genders, male and female, just hours after being inaugurated.
Following the service, which was livestreamed on the internet, Georgia congressman Mike Collins took to X to blast the bishop, writing: “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.” Budde is a US citizen.