The Episcopal Bishop of Washington publicly criticizes Trump

NEW YORK, JAN 22 – On the day after the inauguration, the newly sworn-in American President Donald Trump was admonished during a prayer ceremony at the National Cathedral in Washington.

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde took to the pulpit to ask Trump for “mercy” for gays and undocumented immigrants, two groups targeted by Trump’s first executive orders. The prayer service at the National Cathedral is one of the inauguration’s rites of passage, and Trump, with First Lady Melania by his side—without a hat—clearly did not expect to be criticized from the pulpit. “I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President,” said the high-ranking clergy member, evoking the “fear” she said she sensed across the country. “There are gay, lesbian, and transgender youth in families that are Democratic, Republican, and independent.”

Budde then called for a different perspective on those “who work on our farms, clean our homes and offices, work in poultry and meat plants, wash dishes after we dine in restaurants, and take the night shifts in hospitals: they may not be citizens, they may not have their papers in order,” she added, “but the majority of immigrants are not criminals.”