Washington D.C.’s new Catholic leader accused President Trump of dividing the nation and “diminishing our national life” with his recent statements directed at lawmakers of color.
Wilton Gregory, the only black archbishop in the U.S., stressed in his first public statement since his installation in May that he was not a political leader but could not remain silent in wake of Trump’s attacks.
“I fear that recent public comments by our president and others and the responses they have generated, have deepened divisions and diminished our national life,” he said Thursday.
“Our faith teaches us that respect for people of every race, religion, gender, ethnicity and background are requirements of fundamental human dignity and basic decency. This include newcomers to our country, people who have differing political views and people who may be different from us. Comments which dismiss, demean or demonize any of God’s children are destructive of the common good and a denial of our national pledge of ‘liberty and justice for all,’” he added.
Most recently, Trump has directed his ire toward Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, criticizing parts of his Maryland district as dirty, rat-infested and crime-ridden. Before that, Trump told a group of minority congresswomen to “go back” to the countries they came from.
“As an American, a Christian, a Catholic pastor, I pray that our president, other national leaders and all Americans will do all we can to respect the dignity of all God’s children and nothing to further divide our nation. The growing plague of offense and disrespect in speech and actions must end,” Gregory said.
Earlier this week, Washington National Cathedral leaders also responded to Trump’s attacks.
“We feel compelled to ask: After two years of President Trump’s words and actions, when will Americans have enough?” they wrote in a letter titled, “Have We No Decency?”
