The Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, used her pulpit to  implore the president in her sermon at Washington National Cathedral to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”

 

 

Now, following the sermon, the president has attacked Buddle online, calling her a “Radical Left hard-line Trump hater” in a lengthy social media post early on Wednesday. He argued that she had “brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way” and described her tone as “nasty”

One Republican even suggested that Budde “should be added to the deportation list.”

Mariann Edgar Budde defended her sermon asking the president to show compassion to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, and gently said she ‘wouldn’t apologize’ as many of the GOP have demanded.

As of Thursday morning, more than 30,000 people signed a petition supporting her and her sermon.

The petition describes Budde’s sermon as “courageous” and “faith-filled” says it represents “the prophetic voice we desperately need right now”.