Dear Peacemaker, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde spoke truth to power on Tuesday. Jan 21. In her closing remarks at the National Cathedral prayer service, she asked President Trump to show mercy on LGBTQ folk and on immigrants. PCMDCB believes we need to show her support and ask our dioceses’ Bishops to show her support, too.
Let me make one final plea, Mr President. Millions have put their trust in you. 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 transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families who fear for their lives. And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in our poultry farms and meat-packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shift 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, mosques and synagogues, gurdwara, and temples. Have mercy, Mr President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. Help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land. May God grant us all the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, speak the truth in love, and walk humbly with one another and our God, for the good of all the people of this nation and the world.
(The full 15-minute sermon can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwaEuDeqM8.) Please consider sending Bishop Budde words of support and encouragement. President Trump attacked her in a social media post late on Tuesday night so she is likely getting other attacks as well. If you send something, make it clear on the outside that is in support. Her address is: The Rt. Revd. Mariann Edgar Budde Episcopal Church House Mount St. Alban Washington, DC, 20016-5094, USA
We think it important for the Catholic Bishops in our region to support Bishop Budde. Please consider contacting your bishop in Washington, Arlington, or Baltimore to urge him to stand with Bishop Budde. A recent Sojourner’s article (July ‘24, ‘Faith and the Authoritarian Playbook’) pointed out how important it is for religious leaders to stand against authoritarianism. Here’s the text of a sample letter: (in image form for social media: https://paxchristimdcb.org/storage/app/media/bishop_letter_dc.png)
Your Excellency: Episcopal Bishop Budde made a brave statement on Tuesday, Jan 21, at the National Cathedral. She asked President Trump to show mercy on LGBTQ folk and on immigrants. I hope that you can make a statement in support of Bishop Budde because: She simply asked President Trump to follow through on central Christian principles. The preferential option for the poor is a pillar of Catholic Social Teaching. What she said was in line with what Pope Francis said the prior Sunday about the mass deportation planned by President Trump. Religious Freedom needs to be defended. Bishop Budde was expressing fundamental Christian charity in her own place of worship. She was subsequently criticized by President Trump, GOP Representatives including the Speaker, and at least one GOP Senator, all direct attacks on First Amendment freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Defense of your flock is important. Many of the people in the pews are immigrants or children of immigrants. Many are now in fear. Some can’t even go to Mass without the fear of being challenged, or of friends or family being challenged. Please let them know you will defend them. Put the Federal Government on notice that they face opposition from the Diocese [or Archdiocese]. DC has a large LGBTQ community. We know that many of them are non-practicing Catholics because they have not felt that the Church cares. Here is an opportunity to show that the Church does care and will not let them be treated as second class citizens. Unfortunately, the US Church’s history is not good in this regard; it went along with slavery and segregation for far too long, e.g., the Washington Archdiocese parish schools were not fully desegregated until 1968. Here’s a chance to rectify this history.
Thank you for your attention and time. Hearing from many Church members and related organizations will inspire action, we hope and pray.
Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore is a region of Pax Christi USA, a national section of Pax Christi International. Rooted in the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, we witness to Jesus’ teaching and example of nonviolence, rejecting war and affirming the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person.
In the spirit of Pope Francis's call for fraternity and social friendship in Fratelli Tutti, his plea for the care of our earth in Laudato Si, and his understanding of our Gospel mission in Evangelii Gaudium, Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore recognizes the elections as a crucial moment for shaping a society grounded in peace, accountability, and the common good.
This article reviews several notable developments relating to nuclear weapons, including the status of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyo (organization of Japanese atomic bomb survivors); “Living in the Light of Christ's Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament,” a pastoral letter by Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe; and the "Back from the Brink" Campaign. Links to additional resources are provided.
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred. Our passion for peace is rooted in respect for life. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops summarizes the proud tradition of Catholic Social Teaching under seven themes. Life and Dignity of the Human Person is listed first, as the foundation of all succeeding principles and “the foundation of a moral vision for society.” Abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, and war are cited together as violations of our God-given dignity.
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