President Donald Trump attended a church service at Washington National Cathedral to celebrate the first day of his second term as president. The progressive establishment has long resisted Trump's values ​​because rolling stones According to recent reports, the Rev. Marian Edgar Bader delivered a poignant message to the new president in her sermon on Tuesday.

This is what she said:

“Mr. President, let me make one last request. Millions of people trust you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you feel the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of God, I ask you to have mercy on our nation right now. People in fear. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some of whom fear for their lives. Those of us who pick crops, clean office buildings, those who labor on poultry farms and meatpacking plants, those who wash dishes after meals in restaurants, those who work the night shift in hospitals—they may not be citizens, There are no proper documents, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are loyal members of our churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples.

Mr. President, I ask you to have mercy on those in our communities whose children fear their parents will be taken away, and to help those fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us to be kind to strangers because we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to respect the dignity of every person, to speak truth to one another in love, and to walk humbly with each other and our God, for the good of all—for the good of this nation and the world. Amen. "

Trump, whose political image is largely built on virulent xenophobia, signed a series of executive orders on Monday that crack down on immigration and target transgender Americans. His actions have long contradicted the mission of the Washington National Cathedral. In 2020, after federal law enforcement used tear gas to break up peaceful Black Lives Matter protests in the area, Episcopal Bishop Bard of Washington described Trump's use of St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo op as "contrary to the teachings" of Jesus and A righteous God. "

After Trump left the cathedral on Tuesday, he was asked by reporters what he thought of the service. "Not very exciting," he said. "They can do better."