Reverend Franklin Graham criticized the statements of the leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Bishop Mariann Budde.
Graham told Newsmax that Budde was “wrong” to politicize the inaugural prayer service. “That was really a national forum, a national stage pulpit that she was standing in. And for her to use that for her own political agenda was wrong,” he said.
Discussing the bishop’s statements on immigration and LGBTQ children, Graham said that while “people suffered a lot to come here illegally,” illegal immigrants “need to go back and come in legally.”
“It has nothing to do with compassion. It’s to do what’s right to do. If you want to have compassion, then have the law the same for everybody,” he stated. “Don’t have a law for one group and another law for another group. No, it’s one law fits all.”
Speaking to Piers Morgan, Graham emphasized that the bishop “took advantage of that national pulpit for her own personal agenda – and that was wrong.”
“Because the president talks about having a new policy … of two gender, male or female, but somehow the LGBTQ community is going to be maligned someway. That’s just not true,” Graham said. “She said they’re going to feel unsafe. Why? Nothing’s changed. They still have their freedoms and their rights as we all do.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the bishop “brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way.”
“She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA,” Trump said. “Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!”
