A Washington, D.C., pastor who gave a liberal sermon at a church service attended by President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance has been criticized by fellow pastors and social media for “weaponizing” the pulpit instead of promoting unity. It has faced intense backlash from criticism in the media.
“Bishop Marian Edgar Budde is Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She is the first woman to hold that position. She is honored today with a great honor. A Christian message at the beginning of a new administration. Instead, she shamed herself in speeches like the one heard on CNN and on an episode of The View. How embarrassing,” Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk posted on X.
Catholic Vote, a conservative nonprofit organization, said of He insisted that lesbian and transgender children should be “compassionate''.'' can't believe it. ”
Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance, along with their respective families, participated in a long tradition of presidents attending the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral the day after the inauguration. The Episcopal Church's National Cathedral has hosted a prayer service the day after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration since 1933, when he took office.
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President Donald Trump attends the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
But this year's service began before Protestant bishops turned their attention to illegal immigrants living in the United States, saying gay and transgender children “fear for their lives” and President Trump saying, “We should have mercy,” he warned, leading to a change in direction.
Trump and Vance were clearly irritated by the comment, with Trump looking away and Vance looking at him.
“In the name of our God, please have mercy on the people of this country who are scared right now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some of whom are Some people feel their lives are in danger.” marian edgar budd The claim was made at a church service.
President Donald Trump and Bishop Marian Edgar Budde. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Pastor asks President Trump to show 'mercy' to immigrants, LGBTQ children who 'fear for their lives'
“And they harvest our crops, clean office buildings, work in poultry farms and meat-packing plants, wash dishes after eating at restaurants, and work night shifts in hospitals. People may not be citizens or have the proper qualifications. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” she continued.
Pastor and former NFL star Jack Brewer told Fox News Digital that the sermon was “just the beginning of the Democratic Party's desperate attempt to use competitive bait to return America to DEI's malign control.” spoke.
Former Minnesota Vikings safety Jack Brewer speaks during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, February 27, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Ilya Nouberge/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The fact that President Trump called for God to remain the foundation of America should have been celebrated across party lines by all of our nation's clergy. We are committed to DEI and awakening in government and business. “The time has come to also work on the awakening of the church,” he said.
Rob Pacienza, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida and founder of the Faith and Culture Institute, slammed the comments in a statement to Fox Digital.
“Ironically, the bishop used the pulpit and worship service not only to preach to the president, but also to promote a secular worldview and her woke ideology. Unification is not about cultural assimilation, but about the Bible's “It can only be achieved through a commitment to truth. Her preaching was founded on the truth that there is a God and that only God defines good and evil,” he said.
Chicago pastor Corey Brooks added, “I want to know why she didn't ask the previous administration to show mercy to transgender children and immigrants.”
Bishop Marian-Edgar Boudet arrives as President Donald Trump looks on during the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“This bishop called on Trump and his administration to show mercy to transgender children and immigrants. What I want to know is why she asked the previous administration to show mercy to transgender children and immigrants. “Where was she when it mattered?” We have children who are so young that they don't know the ways of this world, and yet we give them back. It caused irreparable damage–damage that many people have regretted ever since. Where was she when Biden opened the borders and allowed millions of people into the country? They knew they were breaking the law to cross,” Brooks told FOX News Digital after the sermon.
Pastor Corey Brooks speaks to FOX News. (Fox News)
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“We knew a day of reckoning was coming. But where did her request for mercy go then? What the previous administration did was not mercy, it was ideological injustice. They manipulated children based on ideology. They allowed people from other countries into the country based on ideology.'' This was not compassion. Our compassion must be first and foremost for our people,” he added.
Other critics of the remarks accused Badi on social media of what they called an attack on Trump and his policies.
David Englehard, pastor of King's Church in New York City, said in comments on Fox News Digital, “When compassion departs from truth, it becomes a false virtue, easily manipulated, shallow, and destructive.” It becomes something,” he added.
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“As Christ warned in John 8:44, the father of lies thrives where truth is abandoned, twisting kind intentions into instruments of hell. True mercy is the authority of law and justice. Because his throne is founded on justice. Without these, it is not compassion, but indulgence in sophistry that serves the enemies of God.” spoke.
Country music artist John Rich also responded to the sermon by quoting scripture. “He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me shall be scattered. I say unto you, that every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Matthew 12 :30”
John Rich performs at Flagstock in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024. (Fox News Digital Image Direct)
Trump called the pastor's tone “terrible” in a post on Truth Social early Wednesday morning and demanded an apology from him.
“The so-called bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Meeting on Tuesday morning was a radical left-wing hardliner who hated Trump. She brought her church into politics in a very unscrupulous way. Her tone was mean. Apart from her inappropriate remarks, she did not mention the illegal immigrants who have flowed into our country, many of whom are being held in prisons and psychiatric hospitals. , this is a huge crime wave. The worship service was very boring and uninspiring. She wasn't very good at her job. She and the church owe the public an apology. ” he posted.
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His message came after Budde joined CNN, where she explained that she speaks directly to Trump in her sermons.
“I was speaking directly to him, and frankly, as I always do in my sermons, I was speaking to everyone who was listening to my one-on-one conversation with the president. It reminded us of all that lies among the people in our country, the two groups of people I mentioned are our compatriots, and they are part of a political movement. I wanted to counter it as gently as possible by reminding people that it has been portrayed in the harshest light throughout. It establishes their humanity and their place within our broader community,” she said.
