Six prominent clergy members — including a Catholic cardinal, black and Hispanic Protestant leaders and a rabbi — will pray at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The inaugural committee told The Post on Wednesday that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Rev. Franklin Graham, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and Pastor Paula White will all give readings at the ceremony.
The choice of clergy members to speak at previous inaugurations has drawn criticism, including Barack Obama’s choice of Pastor Rick Warren in 2008 because of Warren’s anti-gay-marriage stance. Trump’s inaugural committee chose some clergy members, including Jackson and White, who were associated with Trump during his campaign, as well as others like Rodriguez, who spoke out against Trump’s views on immigration and other issues of importance to his Hispanic Christian community.
“It’s a particular honor that shows the greatness of America,” said Hier, the first rabbi chosen for an inauguration since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985.
Trump chose more clergy than his predecessors, who since 1989 have picked just one or two people to pray at their inaugurations.
Dolan, too, has criticized Trump’s stance on immigration. As the archbishop of New York, he is the most prominent Catholic official in the United States. On Wednesday, he said in a statement, “I am honored to have been asked to offer a reading from Scripture at the upcoming presidential inauguration, and look forward to asking Almighty God to inspire and guide our new President and to continue to bless our great Nation.”
The music at Trump’s inauguration will also have a religious flavor: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, known for its patriotic music at several previous inaugurations and other national events, will sing in the ceremony.
Full story at The Washington Post.
i am disappointed that , at this time in history , a muslim presence is not indicated. as americans, they represent 1% of america’s population, on par with the percentages for judaism. buddhism is at almost 1% as well. this could have added a small flash of hope for the deeply disappointed .
The great persecutor of Christians is not invited to the table? I can’t hold back the tears.
many of america’s mideast allies are muslim. it’s just good foreign policy, not to mention freedom of religion promised to citizens.
Perhaps Cardinal Dolan will afterwards take a more balanced position on immigration.
Just as President Obama should not have been invited to Notre Dame, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in America (Cardinal Dolan) should not be consorting with Trump at the inauguration. The appearance of approval in both situations is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Trumps outrageous statements about women, sex, the poor, Mexicans and other minorities are disgusting! Clergy of the Church should not be associating with Trump and giving an appearance of the Church’s approval.
George, your one sided approach to Trump disgusts me even more. A little balance in your analysis would do you a lot of good.
having trump as president is almost like science fiction he now has chosen military men to serve as advisors and exxon president to be sec of state president Eisenhower told America beware of the industrial military complex the german Nazi party did the same thing, generals and german steel industry executives served as advisors it is scary very scary
Thomas Nawn, it was the Nazis who were pro abortion, pro use of fetal body parts and anti Israel. The Grand Mufti, head Muslim, was on Hitler’s side. You need a real course in history.
Trump will need the blessing from the Catholic Church, and the Bishop is the one in authority for extend it. We are still a Christian nation.
I prayed so much for Trump to win. Never had brought God into politics before but this was a critical moment for the USA. It was truly a miracle. We won all the Midwest by less than 100,000 votes. I think it was the hand of God. Perhaps I overdid it because Trump did not need as many as 306 Electoral College votes, 270 was enough. Be grateful and rejoice that our country has another chance starting in 2017. Happy New Year to all.
What = Did they deliberately snub POTUS Barry ‘on the down low’ Soetoro’s own decades long spiritual guide and the mentor for his ‘fundamental transformation’ – the ”reverend’ G.D.A.Wright?
Trump is from New York. Cardinal Dolan is the Archbishop of New York. Kennedy was from Boston. Cardinal Cushing was the Archbishop of Boston. I see a trend.
Offering a prayer or reading from Scripture is not showing support for the President Elect, but is helping to show that the religious beliefs of the nation are recognized in this important ceremony. That’s all!
Dan: it is difficult to provide a balanced analysis when the matters noted in my original post are absolutely and unequivocally TRUE!
Paula White is a fraud who has denied the Trinity on several occasions.
Anne T., you yourself could benefit from a course on Islam if you think the Grand Mufti is “head Muslim.”
Correction: He was one of the head Muslims at that time. What the other Muslims were doing at that time I do not know, but I never heard anything about any of them helping the United States at that time in my public school classes.
I had male relatives who were at the bombing of Pearl One of them was Stationed there in the U.S. Navy and his elementary school sons and wife were in Military housing. The sons actually saw one of the Japanese bombers flying over head on to Pearl Harbor. They all survived without injuries.
Understandable, from the perspective of the President-Elect, but unforgivable from the perspective of actual, practicing Catholics. Cardinal Dolan is a prime example of the situational ethics type clergy so prevalent in the Catholic Church today. One assumes that he will need to answer, one day, for his unvarnished support of Pro-Abortionist President Obama and of the Democratic Party (along with Cardinal Bernardin and many, many other Catholic clerics).
C. Dolan is not to be trusted by any Catholic in his theological charge. Search out true Catholic leadership if you live in the Archdiocese of New York. Better to suffer following John the Baptist than eat in the opulent surroundings of Herod Antipas. Someone also needs to advise…
(Part Deux) ” . . . President-Elect Trump about the duplicity and mendacious nature of C. Dolan. Satan is very seductive and it is likely this was a prize assignment to taint the new Administration.”
You obviously don’t know Cardinal Dolan.
To have ISLAM represented at this time and place would be a sick joke, ISLAM is and has been at war with the West for over 1,000 years and will not stop until it conquers the world. ISLAM currently murders your fellow Christians, kills, Buddhists, Hindus, other MUSLIMS, keeps women in black head to toe bed sheets, tosses gay men off the roof tops of buildings in the Middle East, want’s Israel wiped off the face of the map and you want them to be represented?? You truly are a Dhimmi.
Read Chapter 11 of Romans.
For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery (lest you should be wise in your own conceit) that blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in. And so all Israel should be saved, as it is written: There shall come out of Sion, he that shall deliver and shall turn ungodliness away from Jacob. And this to them my covenant when I shall take away their sins. (to continue).
Continue: As for concerning the gospel, indeed, they are enemies for your sake; but are touching the election, the are most dear for the sake of the fathers.”
Romans 11:25-28. Douay-Rheims, or use another Bible.
Many of us have Jewish blood or the blood of the lost tribes of Israel and do not even know it, so do not despise the Children of Israel, correct them but do not despise them.
Many of us forget that Our Lord and Our Lady as well as the Apostles were and are Jews, so to call oneself a Christian and be an anti-Semite is completely illogical. I find it very ironic that ISLAMIC countries and ISIS, HAMAS, AL-QAEDA, HEZBOLLAH, all wish to see Israel destroyed, hey so do the Democrats.
I’d rather see a real Roman Catholic lead a prayer.