Irish Catholic Bishop Praises U.S. Episcopal Bishop for Challenging Trump

A bishop in Ireland has  the U.S. Episcopalian bishop who last month advocated for the vulnerable during a sermon at the prayer service for President Trump’s inauguration.

Bishop Michael Router

During an event at Ireland’s Shrine of St. Brigid, Bishop Michael Router of the Archdiocese of Armagh, mentioned the January controversy surrounding Bishop Marianne Edgar Budde, who at Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, called on President Trump to support the marginalized. Router praised Budde’s sermon, stating that her words were  “a forthright and courageous sermon to give, but it was also in many ways a standard sermon about the basic Christian principles of loving one’s neighbor and about being charitable and generous in our dealings with those less fortunate.” 

Router went on to compare Budde’s sermon, which touched on the marginalization of migrants and LGBTQ+ people, to the work of Saint Brigid, a patron saint of Ireland who is known for caring for the poor and suffering. He stated: 

“Brigid’s approach to healing was inseparable from her sense of justice. She did not merely tend to wounds, or weakness, but sought to address the inequalities that left people vulnerable in the first place. Her acts of charity and service echoed Christ’s call in the scripture to love our neighbors as ourselves. This integrated view of compassion and justice is a striking contrast to the normal situation, in the past and even in the present in many societies, where vulnerable people often face neglect or sometimes even hostility.”

Bishop Mariann Budde

Router acknowledged that justice is not only the alleviation of immediate suffering but the working towards “true compassion.” For Ireland, this means holding the Government of Ireland accountable “to ensure they achieve their intended outcomes.” 

The same can be said for the United States as we are called to advocate for the dignity of those who are marginalized, such as LGBTQ+ folks. The many reactions from Budde’s speech amplify our world’s divisiveness. Yet, Router believes that Budde’s words have the power to prompt change. He stated:

“It is amazing the negativity that a simple, sincere statement of Christian beliefs can engender. It is a wake-up call to all of us on the challenges inherent in trying to live out our Christian faith in today’s fractured world.”

—Sarah Cassidy (she/her), New Ways Ministry, February 19, 2025