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.

The bishop asked President Trump publicly to “have mercy,” electrifying some liberal churchgoers in an era dominated by conservative versions of Christianity.

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.