The Pope thinks that Trump’s plans are a “disgrace” … I agree but would go much further

I am not a religious person, but that does not mean that I disagree with everything the clergy says or does. On the contrary, I recently found myself even in full agreement.

On 21 January, during the inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, the Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde pleaded with Donald Trump to show Christian mercy to immigrants and members of the LGBT+ community. She spoke gently with empathy and, I feel, with good reason.

Later that day, in an interview with CNN, Budde said she wanted to remind everyone of the people “who are frightened in our country … They are our fellow human beings who have been portrayed in the harshest of lights. I wanted to counter as gently as I could with a reminder of their humanity and place in our wider community. I wanted to say there is room for mercy and a broader compassion.”

The Republican Mike Collins stated on social media: “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list“. Trump was also unimpressed. In a social media post, Trump wrote:

“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of polictics 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. 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!”

Why do I think that the bishop had good reason to speak out? Within hours of his inauguration, Trump signed executive orders undoing much of President Biden’s legacy. They included:

• the initiative towards mass deportation of migrants;
• a ban on immigration raids in schools, churches, hospitals, relief centres, and “places where children gather”;
• the initiative that children born in the US without a parent who is a lawful resident or US citizen are no longer automatically extended US citizenship;
• the rolling back of the US climate commitments;
• the order to start drilling for oil in the Arctic and offshore;
• the declaration that his administration would recognise only male and female sexes;
• the initiative towards leaving the WHO;
• a pardon for the 1500 criminals who stormed the US Capitol in January 2021, some serving sentences as long as 18 years for violence and assault.

Pope Francis has described the plans for deportations as a “disgrace”. I would go further and add that Trump is a disgraceful, grave danger to the entire world.