As corporations and institutions bow to Trump’s whims and grievances, a Washington, D.C., bishop, shaped by her time serving Minnesota, gives Americans a shining example of how to be brave.

The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Washington, made headlines this week after she angered President Donald Trump with her sermon during an inaugural prayer service.

If you know what people are thinking about when they’re coming into church on Sunday morning, it’s very important to acknowledge that,” Budde says.

Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, is a prominent religious leader who advocates for social justice issues, including immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.

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.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde called on President Trump to have mercy on transgender children and immigrant families at a National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration Tuesday, which went viral and prompted the president to call her “nasty in tone” and “not compelling or smart.

Bishop Budde, at the inaugural service, had directly appealed to US President Donald Trump to ‘have mercy’ on the LGBTQ community and migrant workers.

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, whose appeal to President Trump for mercy in her sermon at a national prayer service caused a stir, said she will not apologize despite GOP backlash.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said this week she has had “people wish me dead” after she called on President Trump to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now” during an inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral.