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Bishop of DC church outraged by Trump visit: 'I just can't believe what my eyes have seen' - CNN
Jun 02, 2020 2 mins, 0 secs
The exterior of the church had been defaced during protests outside the White House Sunday, and there had been a small fire in the parish house basement but church leaders said in a statement that the structure was largely "untouched."

"We have the greatest country in the world," Trump said outside the building.

Beyond using the church as a backdrop, Budde criticized Trump's use of a Bible during the visit, which he held up as he posed for cameras.

"Let me be clear: The President just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus," she said.

The episode follows nearly a week of protests across the country that at times have turned violent over the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis.

While still at the White House Monday evening, Trump declared himself "your president of law and order," and vowed to return order to American streets using the military if widespread violence isn't quelled.

"If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," he said.

The address came after he had been angered by news coverage depicting him holed up in an underground bunker amid protests in Washington.

John's Church.

But Budde stressed Monday that his presence in front of the church -- and his response to the nationwide protests -- were both unwelcome.

"What I am here to talk about is the abuse of sacred symbols for the people of faith in this country to justify language, rhetoric, an approach to this crisis that is antithetical to everything we stand for."

The Episcopal Church has repeatedly refuted Trump on a range of issues including proposed cuts to social services and the construction of a wall on the US southern border.

Michael Curry, the presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, said in a statement Monday that Trump had "used a church building and the Holy Bible for partisan purposes."

"This was done in a time of deep hurt and pain in our country, and his action did nothing to help us or heal us," Curry said.

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