A Bishop’s Duty: Mercy, Justice, and the Attack on Bishop Budde

John Massoud,the Sixth District Republican Party Chairman, penned an open letter to Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Marian Edgar Budde on the pages of the Northern Virginia Daily.  The Bishop gave offense to President Trump and Mr. Massoud by urging the powerful to have mercy on immigrants who came to this country in desperation and have committed no crime and live peacefully among us.

When I go to church, I hope and expect that the priest or bishop will help me to understand what God asks of me in my behavior toward my neighbor.  That is the priest’s job.

Often, I have heard the words of the prophet, Micah who said:

“He hath shown thee, O man, what is good and what doth He require of thee but to do justly and love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”

A request for mercy is hardly out of line in a cathedral, a house of God.

Mr. Massoud then goes on to recite his MAGA talking points including the lie and slander that all undocumented people are hardened criminals.  Many of the people who reside with us came to escape the violence and poverty caused by the wars in the 1980’s in El Salvador and elsewhere.  The United States supported repressive regimes in countries that caused people to flee for their lives.

Mr. Massoud’s attack on Bishop Budde reminds one of another bishop. who died in 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who clashed with King Henry II.  It is said that the offended King asked:  “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?”

For my part, I will side with Micah, Saint Thomas Becket and Bishop Budde over a self-inflated political hack.

Tom Howarth
Front Royal, VA

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