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.

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.

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

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.

The Episcopal bishop of Washington spoke with NPR to discuss her sermon addressing President Trump and why she asked him to have mercy.

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

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for an apology from Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde after she made a direct appeal to him for “mercy” toward LGBT-identified Americans and illegal immigrants during an inaugural prayer service.

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.