Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and Diocesan Council have written to President-elect Donald J. Trump urging him to speak out vigorously against hate speech and acts of violence. The letter comes in the wake of racist vandalism at Church of Our Saviour in the Hillandale neighborhood of Silver Spring, Maryland, and in the midst of a rising tide of hate crimes and racist and homophobic harassment nationwide.
Here is the letter:
November 17, 2016
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
The President-Elect
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Dear Mr. Trump:
We write on behalf of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and its 88 parishes in Washington and Maryland.
While we recognize you will not assume the Presidency until January 20, 2017, we believe it is imperative that you speak out forcefully now against the hate speech and acts of violence which have occurred since the election.
Last Sunday, the priest at Our Saviour Episcopal Church in Hillandale, Maryland found graffiti declaring “Trump Nation Whites Only” on a sign advertising their Spanish-language Mass and on the wall of the parish’s memorial garden. We do not know who the vandals are or whether they were actual supporters of your presidency, but we do know this language should be unacceptable to all of us and particularly to you as it was done in your name.
While we do not assume a direct connection between the often divisive language of the campaign and this and other acts, we cannot fail to recognize that words matter. The present climate in our nation leaves those who are most vulnerable to hate crimes and language understandably scared. Instead of coming together as a nation after an intense campaign as we have done in the past, we are faced with those trying to permanently divide us.
It is for this reason we ask that you, as you take the steps necessary to assume the leadership of this great nation, denounce explicitly those who are using language or engaging in acts that could tear us asunder. There is no place for such violence in our land.
We will speak out as well and will stand with those with reason to fear for their safety and will defend their place in our society. It is imperative that we do so. Together we must work for our highest ideals: “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
When the Rev. Francisco Valle, assistant priest at Our Saviour, Hillandale, rose to preach on Sunday afternoon, he faced a full sanctuary. The ninety or so regular worshippers of the Spanish speaking service had seen their church’s sign and memorial garden vandalized with the words “Trump Nation. Whites Only.” They were sitting alongside men, women and children from across the diocese who had responded to the call to join them in worship as an act of solidarity and love. Also present were elected officials, interfaith leaders, concerned neighbors and a representative from the Salvadoran consulate.
Speaking first in English, Padre Francisco thanked all of us who had come to show our support and counter the hateful message sent to his people. Then he spoke in Spanish to his community: “The gospel warns us of times of persecution and violence. And now that violence has come closer to us. We hear it in the streets. Our children experience it at school. And it has come here to church.”
Then, with his voice gently rising, he said, “But we follow Jesus in the ways of love. To those who wrote those hateful words I say, ‘We love you. We are a congregation of working people. We mean no harm to anyone.’ He closed by exhorting us all to pray the prayer of St. Francis: “Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love.”
Then a lay leader from Washington National Cathedral, Mary Baylor, arrived with bags of chalk. After worship everyone processed outside, chalk in hand, to write on the sidewalk messages of love and welcome. The children wrote with great intention, drawing heart signs around their words. Earlier in the morning one child had asked the Rev. Robert Harvey, rector of Our Saviour, why people had written such mean things. “Let’s go make it better,” he replied. And they did.
I am in awe of the clergy and lay leaders of Our Saviour for their faithful resolve, gentle spirit, and grace under pressure. I’m also grateful to serve a diocese that has surrounded the people of Our Saviour with prayers and support, while stating emphatically that such actions are unacceptable.
The Diocesan Council voted on Tuesday to draft a letter to President-elect Trump, asking him to take a strong public stand against any acts of violence or hate speech perpetrated in his name. Vestries and wardens are writing letters of support to the congregation. Many have contributed financially to mitigate the effects of the vandalism. And in the middle of Monday night, a new sign was planted in place of the old one. It reads, “Silver Spring Loves and Welcomes Immigrants.”
In this emotionally charged climate, our presence, engagement, and words matter. It’s important that we cultivate our capacity to see the world we live in through more than one lens. As it is written in the book of James, we must “be quick to listen, slow to speak.” Yet on Sunday we needed to act, to demonstrate with words and deeds that goodness is stronger than evil and love is stronger than hate. If need be, we will do so again.
Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:1-7
We knew beforehand that whatever the election’s outcome, half the country would feel exiled in their own land. Indeed, one lesson of this long election season is how profound that feeling of exile has been for many Americans. Perhaps exile is our common experience.
In Scripture, the prophet Jeremiah speaks most directly to those in exile. To be clear, the exile of Jeremiah’s day was far more painful than a presidential election.The nation of Israel had been invaded by a foreign army. Jerusalem had fallen, and many Israelites had been carried away to captivity in Babylon. Like so many people around the world today, they had lost everything, including hope for the future. And as people of faith they were at a complete loss as to how to interpret what was happening. Where was God? And more practically, what were they supposed to do?
Jeremiah’s word to them and to us is both bracing and comforting. He said, in essence, “You’re going to be in exile for a long time. Don’t listen to false prophets who want to assure you this is a temporary setback. So make your peace with exile. Learn to adapt and adjust. And above all, seek the welfare of the people where you live. For in their welfare, you will find your own.” This was no small request: They were to seek the the welfare and make their homes among the very people whose soldiers had carried them into exile. “
I was not among those who voted for Mr. Trump, for reasons that I need not rehearse here. Thus I listened with an exile’s ears as he pledged to be a president for all Americans and said that it was time for the nation to come together. Speaking on behalf of the Diocese of Washington, I pledge that will take an active part in the healing of America. In faithfulness to God, we will seek the welfare of the cities, towns and communities in which we live. As Americans, we give thanks for the peaceful transfer of political power and we respect it.
Yet healing from such a bruising campaign is not accomplished with one call to unity. Things have been said in this election that cannot be easily unsaid or forgotten. The president-elect made promises that if fulfilled would be devastating to our country. And so we will stand with those with reason to fear for their safety and will defend their place in our society. Nor will we forget the highest ideals of our nation and our call to follow Jesus in the ways of love.
As election night drew into early morning, I remembered another fateful night when we were in turmoil as a nation: April 4, 1968. On that night, Senator Robert Kennedy was campaigning in Indianapolis when he heard that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot and killed. The police tried to convince him to cancel his speech, for fear of violence. Kennedy refused, and from a flatbed truck he spoke to a grieving, angry crowd. Before he spoke, he gathered his volunteer campaign workers and asked them if they would be willing to walk among the people and share their grief. There were 100 riots in American cities that night. The only major city that did not erupt into violence was Indianapolis, where Kennedy made his speech.
Kennedy’s speech in its entirely well worth reading. Here is a portion of what he said:
“In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in… We can move in the direction as a country in greater polarization …. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence … with an effort to understand, compassion and love. ….
“What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”
Kennedy stated his conviction, that I share, that the vast majority of people in this country “want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.” And he concluded with a request for prayer.
My daily prayer, which I invite you all to pray with me until its cadences become as a part of you as breathing, is the Prayer of St. Francis.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love…..
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:1-7
We had a sense, whatever the election’s outcome, that half the country would feel exiled in their own land; indeed, one lesson of this long election season is how profound that feeling of exile has been for many Americans. Moreover, we knew that no matter the outcome, we’d all have a wide range of emotions to process. And so today we welcome you into this sacred space, so together we might listen to beautiful music, reflect on the wisdom of Scripture, and pray.
With exile in mind, we turned to the writings of Jeremiah, a prophet of ancient Israel who lived and spoke to the nation in the name of God during their time of exile. To be clear, the exile of Jeremiah’s day was far more painful than a presidential election.The nation had been overrun; Jerusalem had fallen; and many Israelites had been carried away to captivity in Babylon. Like so many people around the world today, they had lost everything, including their hope for the future. As people of faith they were at a complete loss as to how they were to interpret what was happening. Where was God? And more practically, what were they supposed to do?
Jeremiah’s word to the people was both bracing and comforting. He said, in essence, “You’re going to be in exile for a long time. Don’t listen to those false prophets who want to assure you this is a temporary setback. So make your peace with it. Learn to adapt and adjust. And above all, seek the welfare of the people where you live. For in their welfare, you will find your own.” This was no small request: They were to seek their welfare and make their homes among the people whose soldiers had carried them into exile. “
I was not among those who voted for Mr. Trump, for reasons that I need not rehearse here. Thus I listened with an exile’s ears as he pledged to be a president for all Americans, and asked for the nation to come together. Speaking on behalf of this Cathedral and the Diocese of Washington, we pledge to be a part of that reconciling work. In faithfulness to God, we will seek the welfare of the cities, towns, and communities in which we live. As Americans, we give thanks for the transfer of political power and we respect it. And, if asked, Washington National Cathedral will host an inaugural prayer service for the president-elect and the nation.
Yet healing from such a bruising campaign is not accomplished with one call to unity or one prayer service. Things have been said in this election that cannot be easily unsaid or forgotten. The president-elect made promises that, if fulfilled, would be devastating to our nation. And we stand with those with reason to fear for their safety and we defend their place in our society. Nor will we forget the highest ideals of our nation and our call to follow Jesus in the ways of love.
I’ve been trying to think of a similar moment in American history from which to draw perspective and insight. In truth, no obvious parallels come to mind. Yet as last night drew into early morning and I pondered what we as a people most needed to hear, I remembered another fateful night: April 4, 1968. On that night, Senator Robert Kennedy was campaigning in Indianapolis when he heard that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot and killed. The police tried to convince him to cancel his speech, for fear of violence. Kennedy refused, and from a flatbed truck he spoke to a grieving, angry crowd. More than that: he asked his volunteer campaign workers to go out and be among the crowds. There were 100 riots in American cities that night–the only city that did not erupt into violence was Indianapolis, where Kennedy made his speech.
I commend Robert Kennedy’s speech to you in its entirety. Here is a portion of what he said:
“In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it’s perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in… We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization–[as people] filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace violence with compassion and love.”
“What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”
“The vast majority of [people] in this country,” he said then and I believe now, “want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land.”
He ended with a call to prayer, as will I. Pray with me, this day, for President-elect Trump and his family, for Secretary Clinton and her family, and for our nation.
Please open the Book of Common Prayer in front of you to page 833. There you will find the prayer attributed to St. Francis. I commend this prayer to you, that you join in praying these words every day, until its cadences align with your breathing and it becomes a part of you. Would you pray with me now:
Lord, make us an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love. Where there is injury, pardon, where this is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood and to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:7
On Wednesday, November 9, we will rise to face a new day in America. We don’t know what the day will bring, nor our response to the decisions we’ll have made. What we do know about this political season is that real damage has been done. Whole segments of our society have legitimate reason to fear for their safety, the foundations of our democracy have been called into question, and after all the votes are counted, the raw emotions and echos of hateful speech will remain. Healing the nation will require intentional effort.
To mark a new beginning, I invite congregations in the diocese to join in common prayer for the nation. At your midweek services on November 9, or the following Sunday, consider dedicating all or part of your worship service to this endeavor. Then invite your friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens to join you.
At Washington National Cathedral, I will preach at all services on November 9: at 7:30 a.m., noon, and 5:30 p.m. I hope other preachers will join me in discerning what Christ would have us do as faithful disciples and citizens of this land. Join us as we delve into our sacred texts for spiritual wisdom and inspiration.
At the Cathedral, we’ll be using the following prayers and biblical texts, taken from the Book of Common Prayer and ecumenical sources. All are are welcome to adapt them for use in services throughout the diocese. May God grant us wisdom and courage for the living of our days.
