I am going to cut to the chase, I do not agree with the reasoning or decision for the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul in Washington DC, better known as the National Cathedral, to host a prayer service for the inauguration of Donald Trump as President and Mike Pence as Vice President. There is no good reason to have this service as it does more harm than good, and sends a very destructive message to the communities most at risk because of Trump's presidency.
I concur with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry that we should pray for the president, even by name. There is a difference however, between praying for a leader and inviting authoritarian people into a sacred temple of the Lord to pray for and celebrate the position they will be inhabiting. Though the Episcopal Church and the National Cathedral would claim not to endorse Trump or his ideology, by having this event it further normalizes the white nationalism that propelled Trump to the presidency. The location of the Episcopal Church within the American religious landscape of being a quasi-established church along with the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul being the so-called National Cathedral and the "national house of prayer" makes this all very disturbing.
Most importantly it sends a message to those who are already victims of Donald Trump and Mike Pence, and those who will be victimized by the Trump administration that the Episcopal Church and the National Cathedral are more concerned with power and status rather than the marginalized and the outcasts of the US. Of course, this claim could be challenged, however we must remember that in inclusivity and welcome that Jesus offers is extended first and foremost to the poor, the outcast, and the dispossessed, the last that will be made first. And though inclusivity is not a zero-sum game, we must remember that all discourse and actions are indeed political, there is no such thing as apolitical or politically neutral discourse and actions, and so the messages that we send do indeed matter. Though the intentions of this service might come from a noble place, it is as with all other things the audience's interpretations and perceptions of these events that give this service its meaning.
As some of you may know, I was not raised in the Episcopal Church. I came to it after being raised as a Roman Catholic and attending an conservative evangelical university because I believed that the Episcopal Church was a safe haven for those of us in the LGBTQ community. I still believe this is the case. The Episcopal Church helped me to discover and reconnect with God and my faith. I know that I am safe within it.
There is a line of thought that believes that by welcoming Donald Trump and Mike Pence, they are celebrating the inclusivity on the Episcopal Church that is willing to take in all including the powerful and the oppressed. The Episcopal Church often says all are welcome, and the Dean of the Cathedral, Very Rev. Randy Hollerith says, "all means all." Along with this there is perhaps a hope that communities like the LGBTQ community to reconcile with people like Trump and Pence. And though I would have no objection to Donald Trump or Mike Pence entering into any Episcopal church or cathedral on their own, and participating in the usual cycles of prayer and worship of the Episcopal Church, because indeed, all should be welcome in the Episcopal Church. I do however object to THIS particular service being organized and held specifically for them. The reconciliation that is being hoped for from this service is an illusory reconciliation because there is no demand for repentance, there is no acknowledgement of the evil that is done, and no attempt to rectify the evil that is done. It is a pollyanna repentance that seeks civility and niceness over justice, and it is a pattern that the Episcopal Church has fallen into too often in its history; such as with slavery, colonialism, and segregation, and will risk falling into now if the Trump administration builds upon the oppressive actions of its members and follows through to the full extent of its rhetoric.
When the time comes, will people see the Episcopal Church as a refuge against authoritarianism, as an agent of God's justice, and willing to devote its considerable wealth, privilege, and prestige to protecting the poor, the prisoners, non-Christians, women, people of color, migrants, and the LGBTQ community? By holding this event, you are effectively saying no to these communities. This is not about loosing an election, but about the safety of those likely to be in harms way. Yes, all are welcome, but what does that welcome mean when we seem to preoccupied to notice those with whom Jesus identifies: the poor, the prisoners, non-Christians, women, people of color, migrants, and the LGBTQ community?
I want to close with something a Facebook friend of mine, Gregory Williams, wrote:
"When Emperor Theodosius massacred 6,000 civilians when putting down an uprising in Thessalonica, Ambrose, bishop of Milan, excommunicated him. When Theodosius came to Milan and tried to go to the cathedral for mass, Ambrose physically blocked the door and denied him entry, and admitted him only after months of penance.
"Ambrose, let us remember, was an 'establishment,' 'Constantinian' bishop. In this way he was not unlike the Episcopal clergy at the National Cathedral.
"It is one thing to say that, because the gospel of Christ is for all times and places, that we should pray for Kings and Presidents and, when asked, devote pastoral attention to them through specific ministries, of which the national cathedral is one. It is quite another thing to say that our willingness to worship with powerful people is unconditional, or that there are no circumstances under which we will expel perpetrators of grave evil from our assemblies, both for the sake of our souls and for theirs, when continuing to have fellowship with them would constitute material cooperation with evil."
We must love out enemies, and pray for those who would persecute us. But we must also realize that though all are welcome wherever they are within our communities and churches, there is a hope and even a demand to be transformed through prayer, repentance, and true reconciliation by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the seeming absence of that, as Donald Trump has frequently said that he does not need to ask for forgiveness, and Mike Pence has done horrific things as governor of Indiana towards marginalized communities, the Episcopal Church and all churches in the United States must stand with the most vulnerable in our society, not only for their physical, but spiritual safety. This is not to say that Donald Trump, Mike Pence, or anyone in the Trump administration is beyond redemption, but it is a recognition that the safety of those whom Jesus is to be found is at stake by the rhetoric, actions, and policies of these political leaders. By celebrating men and women who ascended into power by allying themselves with and empowering white supremacy, patriarchy, and violent homophobia and transphobia, the National Cathedral sends a message that power and privilege matter more than standing with those who bear the face of Jesus, whether they wish to send such a message or not. For this reason, I do not think the Inaugural Prayer Service should be held at the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul.
