The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., denounced President Trump’s walk from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church amid smoke-filled protests and called his message “antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.”
Rev. Mariann Budde said Monday night that the White House did not consult her diocese before Trump walked to the city’s historic church, which has been the site of some damage from the ongoing demonstrations rocking the nation’s capital. After delivering a speech from the Rose Garden, Trump stood in front of the church with other administration officials and held up a Bible.
“Let me be clear. The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese without permission as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our churches stand for,” Budde told CNN, adding that she opposes the use of tear gas by authorities in riot gear to clear the path for the walk.
“I am outraged. The president did not pray when he came to St. John’s, nor … did he acknowledge the agony of our country right now, and, in particular, that of the people of color in our nation, who wonder if anyone ever, anyone in public power will ever acknowledge their sacred worth,” she continued, “and who are rightfully demanding an end to 400 years of systemic racism and white supremacy in our country.”
Budde said that her church distances itself from “the incendiary language of this president.”
“We follow someone who lived a life of nonviolence and sacrificial love,” she said. “We align ourselves with those seeking justice for the death of George Floyd and countless others through the sacred act of peaceful protest, and I — I just can’t believe what my eyes have seen tonight.”
Shortly before Trump’s address, assorted law enforcement units could be heard firing smoke canisters and rubber bullets to disperse the large group of demonstrators that had gathered outside of the White House to protest George Floyd’s death. Prior to the crowd being driven out, Attorney General William Barr was seen surveying the events from behind security outside of the White House.
The protests were sparked last week by Floyd’s death. Video from the incident showed a handcuffed Floyd lying on his stomach and begging for air as Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer Derek Chauvin drove his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes, almost three for which Floyd was unresponsive. Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday, but Floyd’s family and some political figures have called for first-degree murder charges.
