As corporations and institutions bow to Trump’s whims and grievances, a Washington, D.C., bishop, shaped by her time serving Minnesota, gives Americans a shining example of how to be brave.

Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, is a prominent religious leader who advocates for social justice issues, including immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.

The Virginia Theological Seminary released a statement Friday in support of alumna Bishop Mariann Budde after she received conservative pushback for comments this week during the National Cathedral’s inaugural prayer service for President Trump.

President Donald Trump, left, watches as Rev. Mariann Budde, second right, arrives at the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump,

Rev. Mariann Budde the Episcopal Bishop of Washington defended a plea for mercy she made to President Donald Trump on behalf of immigrants and others during an inaugural prayer service a day before.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde drew President Trump’s ire Wednesday morning after she used a National Catheral prayer service to issue a call for mercy against members of the LGBTQ and immigrant communities.

The Episcopal bishop of Washington spoke with NPR to discuss her sermon addressing President Trump and why she asked him to have mercy.

President Donald Trump Wednesday demanded an apology from the Episcopal bishop who criticized his hardline policies on immigration and LGBTQ rights at the National Prayer Service on his first full day back in the White House.

They were coveting the sermon Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered at the National Cathedral during a service the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, in which she pleaded with Trump to show mercy to the most vulnerable among us.

10. Fourth Wing (1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) : The Empyrean 1 (Empyrean) by Rebecca Yarros (Recorded Books, Inc.)

The hate and racism from the Jim Crow era never truly died in the hearts and minds of many people. It was simply suppressed by progressive laws of tolerance and inclusion and by Christian leaders of all races appealing to the conscience of a hate-filled nation.