Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump and Members of Congress attacking Episcopal Bishop the Right Rev. Mariann Budde for a sermon she preached in her church on Tuesday. Late last night, Trump attacked the bishop on Truth Social and said “she and her church owe the public an apology!” Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) tweeted that the bishop “should be added to the deportation list.”
“Religious freedom and church-state separation mean that clergy must be free to preach without threats from government officials and free from the demands of presidents,” Laser said.
“It’s one thing for talking heads like Charlie Kirk or Matt Walsh to go after this bishop, but when the President of the United States and Members of Congress attack clergy for exercising their religious freedom, they are crossing a line. This abuse of power is precisely the kind of authoritarianism our founders sought to prevent when they separated church and state.”
Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde of the Diocese of Washington, D.C., delivered a sermon during the Washington National Cathedral’s inauguration worship service on January 21. In it, the bishop urged Trump to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now” – remarks that America’s promise of religious freedom gives her the right to make. Americans United has long fought for the separation of church and state precisely because it is the only guarantee of true religious freedom.
Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
Liz Hayes
Associate Vice President of Communications
[email protected]
