On Being Troublesome Priests

"Will no one rid me of this troublesome (or turbulent) priest?"  That famous quote is attributed to King Henry II who was expressing his frustration at the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket in 1170.  Well, some knights took him at his word and murdered Becket.  This was made famous by T.S. Eliot in his play Murder in the Cathedral. 

There have been many troublesome priests and other religious people since that time.  The latest, for the moment, being the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Bishop Washington.  Bishop Budde preached a sermon during the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral on the occasion of the inauguration of Donald J trump as the 47^th president of the United States.  In the sermon, Bishop Budde directly addressed President Trump who was in attendance:

In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen”

As might be expected, this has caused something of a furor amongst certain groups including some in the U.S. House of Representatives.  House Resolution 59, a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 23, condemned the sermon preached by Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde.  “It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the sermon given at the National Prayer service on Jan. 21, 2025, at the National Cathedral was a display of political activism. The House of Representatives condemns the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde’s distorted message,” said the resolution drafted by Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.).

The negative response has not been restricted to politicians.  As noted in one source, “Other Anglicans have expressed concern or frustration. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) said on X on January 23, “As a conservative Episcopalian who supports President Trump and his agenda, I am profoundly disappointed that Bishop Mariann Budde politicized today’s inaugural Service of Prayer for the Nation.”

The question that arises in my mind is, ‘what would Jesus do’?  If Bishops, and indeed all Christians, are followers of Jesus Christ we need to be guided by the model of his life.  Jesus was someone who was not popular with the authorities – both religious and secular – to put it mildly.  He angered the Pharisees by healing people on the Sabbath and not falling into the traps they laid for him such as asking if it was lawful for Jews to pay the Roman taxes.  Indeed, they plotted to kill him.  Of course, he challenged the religious authority of the Temple economy by throwing out the money changers who had made God’s house a den of thieves.  I do not have to replete here what the result of all this was.  We celebrate it every year at Easter – specifically Good Friday.

Apparently asking people to show mercy is now a political statement.  If that is the case then all I can say is, so be it.  We are called to love our neighbours as ourselves.  This is absolutely a challenge at the best of times especially given that Jesus tells us our neighbours are not just the nice people we approve of.  It may be a challenge, but to show mercy is never a mistake. 

May we be blessed to give and receive mercy on our journey. 

By the way, Becket was canonized as a saint by Pope Alexander III on February 21, 1173, and on July 12, 1174, Henry II did public penance and was scourged at the archbishop's tomb.  Sometimes there are just deserts.