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.

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

Opinion: I was reminded of why I left the Episcopal church after listening to the bishop of the National Church in Washington.

It was a pretty mild sermon,” Budde said. “It certainly wasn't a fire and brimstone sermon. It was as respectful and as universal as I could."

The people who are in danger are the people who fear for their lives and their livelihoods,’ Budde said in an interview. ‘That’s where the focus should be.’

Rev. Mariann Budde said she refuses to apologize to President Donald Trump for her recent remarks, and she issued a new plea to Americans to “speak to one another with respect.” The Episcopal Bishop of Washington said she has been facing a wave of hate for her sermon during Tuesday’s inaugural prayer service at Washington National Cathedral,

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and their families were in attendance at the prayer service on Tuesday.

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,

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who campaigned heavily against transgender athletes last year, called Budde a “woke Bishop” in a post on the social media platform X. Moreno, who immigrated to Florida as a child from Colombia, said Budde’s plea for mercy for undocumented immigrants was “insult to all of us who came to this country the right way.”

Readers respond to the Right Rev. Mariann Budde’s message to President Donald Trump at Washington National Cathedral. Regarding the Jan. 22 Metro article “ At National Prayer Service, a plea to Trump: ‘Have mercy’ ”:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves,” says a passage from the Bible. These words were written thousands of years ago but are applicable today.