The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington — who led the inaugural prayer service Washington, DC Tuesday received fierce backlash from a Republican congressman after asking President Donald Trump to "have mercy" on LGBTQ people and immigrants.

Let’s name the truth: Bishop Budde’s call for mercy was not an attack. It was a reminder. A reminder that leadership without mercy is tyranny. A reminder that the church’s foundation lies in caring for the “least of these.” A reminder that our faith demands responsibility for the vulnerable.