The Budwa Budde turning to Trump has done what a Christian is called to do

Text by NCR Editorial Staff, published in the National Catholic Reporter (United States) on January 24, 2025. Freely translated by the volunteers of the Gionata project

The words spoken by the episcopal bishop of Washington (USA), Mariann Budde, were few. They were not screamed. They had no hard or aggressive tones. They were deep and sincere words, an appeal that could resonate in any place of worship and at any time.

Since these words were addressed directly to the President of the United States, just elected for a second term, during a celebration of prayer widely followed at the Washington National Cathedral, it is likely that they will be remembered even after the end of this administration.

His was only a voice in the growing choir of religious leaders who condemn the plans of the Trump administration for mass deportation (migrants).

Unlike others, however, he had the opportunity to contact the President directly. His words have become viral, but it is worth repeating here:

In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy of people in our country ...

The people who collect our crops and clean our office buildings, who work in the poultry companies and in the meat processing systems, which wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work in night shifts in hospitals.

They may not be citizens or have the appropriate documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbor. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, Gurdwara and Temples.

I ask you to have Mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents are taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing from war zones and persecutions in their lands to find compassion and welcome here.

What budwa budde did was Not Only to take the opportunity of a close encounter with the commander to the head. he Did what he was called to do as a disciple of Christ, announcing the evangelical message.

He has returned a human face to those who, in the design of an administration without compassion, are reduced to a nameless group, defamed and transformed into a national expression.

They have become the new enemy, the dehumanized "other" on which to download the anxieties and difficulties of society.

Some will criticize his words considering them simple rhetoric. Others will liquidate them, saying that there will never be proof that they have brought comfort or safety to immigrants.

Still others will make political calculations, wondering if his message has influenced some voter or if he has only contributed to deepen the divisions already existing in the Christian world and in society in general.

But all this is only background noise.

Has Jesus ever been reproached for not having calculated exactly how irritated the Roman and religious leaders before saying an uncomfortable truth?

If a Christian guide, from his pulpit, cannot courageously proclaim the heart of the Gospel to a president who has voluntarily chosen to enter that sacred space, then it is necessary to transform our cathedrals, basilicas and places of worship into simple museums.

(...) Beyond these public statements and positions, an incalculable number of groups, parishes, communities, synagogues and organizations is developing strategies to counter the policies of the Trump administration.

Who knows, perhaps Trump, that in his inaugural speech he said that his election had desired by God, will end up giving new energy and unity to historical Christianity in the United States as it had not happened for decades.

In the meantime, a servant of God intervened in a simple and respectful way, imploring mercy for the most vulnerable among us.

For a Christian guide, it is not an extraordinary request. But extraordinary action may be necessary for all of us so that Mercy will become reality.

Original text: Editorial: Addressing Trump, Bishop Budde did what to Christian is obliged to do