Bishop Marianne Edgar Budd

It was based upon very faith-driven values. That is my prerogative from which to speak.

I had been working with the themes of unity for some time, thinking quite a lot about what is unity in a country like ours, and is it even possible? What some have called the culture of contempt, the outrage that we are so accustomed to now as normative speech, and the ways we characterize each other.

So I was trying to address, okay, if we're going to be a country praying and working for unity, we have to have some foundations, foundations of dignity, honoring the dignity of every human being. And speaking with humility, because we all are imperfect.

And then I realized, as I was listening to my heart, and then also listening to the inauguration ceremonies, that there really was a fourth, and that we were lacking in our public discourse right now, mercy, compassion, a recognition of the people in our land who are in places of great vulnerability now.

And I made the decision to appeal to the president after acknowledging his power and acknowledging that he had been elected and that he felt spared by God to do this work, that this God was a God of mercy.

The political element is simply that it was a prayer surface for the nation. And whenever we are gathered as human beings, we are, in fact, gathered in the polis, in the people. So, yes, it's always political. It wasn't partisan, and it was based upon very faith-driven values. That is my prerogative from which to speak today.

I did want to counter what I thought was a gross mischaracterization of immigrants, for example, of being dangerous criminals. Because while there are some criminals in the immigrant population, as there are in all populations, it's a very, very small group of people relative to the whole. The vast majority are not criminals at all.

I'm worried. I have been for some time. I respect the office of the presidency and I respect the results of the election. But I do feel that many of the policies that are now either being reversed or promoted are not in the best interest of our people, of our survival as a species. So, yeah, I would say there's good reason for worry.

It's no fun being on the receiving end of some of the statements that have been made, but no, I'm very well supported and even protected. There are far more people who are in greater danger than I. Bishop Marianne Edgar Budd.