RT. REV. MARIANN BUDDE, 154 BISHOPS: The question facing America--whose dignity matters

We, the undersigned bishops of The Episcopal Church, constitute contiguous retired of grief, righteous anger, and steadfast hope.

What happened a week agone successful Minnesota, and is happening successful communities crossed the country, runs antagonistic to God’s imaginativeness of justness and peace. This situation is astir much than 1 metropolis oregon state—it’s astir who we are arsenic a nation. The question earlier america is elemental and urgent: Whose dignity matters?

In the aftermath of the tragic deaths of 2 U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, we articulation Minnesotans and radical crossed the federation successful mourning 2 precious lives mislaid to state-sanctioned violence. We grieve with their families, their friends, and everyone harmed by the government’s policies. When fearfulness becomes policy, everyone suffers.

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We telephone connected Americans to spot their motivation compass—and to question rhetoric that trades successful fearfulness alternatively than truth. As Episcopalians, our motivation compass is rooted firmly successful the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A paper with images of Renée Good and Alex Pretti lies among flowers and different mementos astatine a memorial successful Minneapolis, Minn., connected Jan. 27, 2026.  (Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

This is what we know: Women were shoved to the ground, children torn from their families, and citizens silenced and demeaned for exercising their law rights. These actions sow fear, formed doubt, and deterioration communities down with endless noise.

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We cannot presume to talk for everyone oregon prescribe lone 1 mode to respond. For our part, we tin lone bash arsenic Jesus’ teaching shows us.

A Call for Action

This is simply a infinitesimal for action. We telephone connected radical of religion to basal by your values and enactment arsenic your conscience demands.

We impulse the contiguous suspension of ICE and Border Patrol operations successful Minnesota and successful immoderate assemblage wherever militarized enforcement has endangered residents oregon destroyed nationalist trust.

People clasp candles during a candlelight vigil wherever 37-year-old Alex Pretti was fatally changeable by migration agents past week, successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected January 28, 2026.  (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

We besides telephone for transparent, autarkic investigations of the radical killed—investigations centered connected truth, not politics. Justice cannot wait, and accountability is indispensable to healing.

Every enactment of courageousness matters. We indispensable support showing up for 1 another. We are bound unneurotic due to the fact that we are each made successful the representation of God. 

We telephone connected the elected officials of our federation to retrieve the values we share, including the regularisation of law. Rooted successful our Constitution, it ensures that law—not the arbitrary volition of individuals—governs america all, protecting idiosyncratic rights, ensuring fairness, and maintaining stability.

A Shared Commitment

Every enactment of courageousness matters. We indispensable support showing up for 1 another. We are bound unneurotic due to the fact that we are each made successful the representation of God. This enactment begins with small, faithful steps.

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As bishops successful The Episcopal Church, we committedness to support showing up—to pray, to speak, and to basal with each idiosyncratic moving to marque our communities just, safe, and whole. We are committed to making our communities safer and much compassionate:

• So children tin locomotion to schoolhouse without fear.
• So families tin shop, work, and worship freely.
• So we admit the dignity of each neighbor—immigrant communities, subject families, instrumentality enforcement officers, nurses, teachers, and indispensable workers alike.

You whitethorn consciousness powerless, angry, oregon heartbroken close now. Know that you’re not alone. Each of america has existent power: assemblage power, fiscal power, governmental power, and cognition power.

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We tin amusement up for our neighbors, enactment tiny businesses and nutrient banks, interaction elected officials and vote, and larn our rights truthful we tin talk up peacefully without fear.

Choosing Hope

The question earlier america is elemental and urgent: Whose dignity matters?

Our religion gives a wide answer: Everyone’s.

Candles pain astir a poem written by Renee Good during a vigil honoring her connected Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, successful St. Paul, Minn., extracurricular the Minnesota State Capitol.  (AP)

Safety built connected fearfulness is an illusion. True information comes erstwhile we regenerate fearfulness with compassion, unit with justice, and unchecked powerfulness with accountability. That’s the imaginativeness our religion calls america to unrecorded out—and the committedness our state is meant to uphold.

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In the look of fear, we take hope.

By the grace of God, whitethorn this play of grief go a play of renewal. May courageousness emergence from lament, and emotion instrumentality basal successful each heart.

1. The Rt. Rev Gladstone B. Adams, III, X Bishop of Central New York (Retired)
2. The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut
3. The Rt. Rev. Diana D. Akiyama, Bishop of Oregon
4. The Rt. Rev. David A. Alvarez, VI Bishop of Puerto Rico (Retired)
5. The Rt. Rev. Lucinda Beth Ashby, Bishop of El Camino Real
6. The Rt. Rev. David C. Bane, IX Bishop of Southern Virginia (Retired)
7. The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Barker, Bishop of Nebraska
8. The Rt. Rev. Cathleen Bascom, Bishop of Kansas
9. The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop of Indianapolis
10. The Rt. Rev. Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania (Retired)
11. The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, X Bishop of Newark (Retired)
12. The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner, Bishop Provisional Missionary Diocese of Navajoland
13. The Rt. Rev. Patrick W. Bell, Bishop of Eastern Oregon
14. The Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase, OA, X Bishop of Georgia (Retired)
15. The Rt. Rev. Mark Allen Bourlakas, Assistant Bishop of Virginia
16. The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, IX Bishop of Southern Ohio (Retired)
17. The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, Assistant Bishop of North Carolina
18. The Rt. Rev. C. Franklin Brookhart, Assisting Bishop of Los Angeles
19. The Rt. Rev. Kevin S. Brown, Bishop of Delaware
20. The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown, Bishop of Maine
21. The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop of San Diego
22. The Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce, Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles (Retired)
23. The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington
24. The Rt. Rev. Elías García Cárdenas, Bishop of Colombia
25. The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark, Bishop of Chicago
26. The Rt. Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas, Bishop Suffragan of West Texas
27. The Rt. Rev. Matthew Cowden, Bishop of West Virginia
28. The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut (Retired)
29. The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, XXVII Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (Retired)
30. The Rt. Rev. Joe Morris Doss, X Bishop of New Jersey (Retired)
31. The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Assisting Bishop of Massachusetts
32. The Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe, Bishop of Central New York
33. The Rt. Rev. J. Zache Duracin, Bishop of Haiti (Retired)
34. The Rt. Rev. Mark D.W. Edington, Bishop successful complaint of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches successful Europe
35. The Rt. Rev. Dan Edwards, XII Bishop of Nevada (Retired)
36. The Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting, VIII Bishop of Iowa (Retired)
37. The Rt. Rev. Douglas Fisher, Bishop of Western Massachusetts
38. The Rt. Rev. Jeff W. Fisher, Bishop Suffragan of Texas
39. The Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Hawai’i
40. The Rt. Rev. James E. Folts, VIII Bishop of West Texas (Retired)
41. The Rt. Rev. Jonathan H. Folts, Bishop of South Dakota
42. The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin, Assisting Bishop of Long Island
43. The Rt. Rev. Sally French, Bishop of New Jersey
44. The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison, X Bishop of Western New York (Retired)
45. The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, XVI Bishop of Massachusetts (Retired)
46. The Rt. Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Assisting Bishop of Southern Ohio
47. The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Assisting Bishop of Massachusetts
48. The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)
49. The Rt. Rev. William O. Gregg, VI Bishop of Eastern Oregon (Retired)
50. The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez, Bishop of Pennsylvania
51. The Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn, VII Bishop of Lexington (Retired)
52. The Rt. Rev. Michael Hanley, X Bishop of Oregon (Retired)
53. The Rt. Rev. John T.W. Harmon, Bishop of Arkansas
54. The Rt. Rev. Gayle Elizabeth Harris, Assistant Bishop of Virginia
55. The Rt. Rev. Scott B. Hayashi, XI Bishop of Utah (Retired)
56. The Rt. Rev. Susan B. Haynes, Bishop of Southern Virginia
57. The Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd, Bishop of New York
58. The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Texas (Retired)
59. The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., XI Bishop of Ohio (Retired)
60. The Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe, VII Bishop of West Missouri (Retired)
61. The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, Bishop of Newark
62. The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Hunn, Bishop of the Rio Grande
63. The Rt. Rev. Robert W. Ihloff, XIII Bishop of Maryland (Retired)
64. The Rt. Rev. James I. Jelinek, VIII Bishop of Minnesota (Retired)
65. The Rt. Rev. Don E. Johnson, III Bishop of West Tennessee (Retired)
66. The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of Missouri
67. The Rt. Rev. Anne B. Jolly, Bishop of Ohio
68. The Rt. Rev. Charles I. Jones, VII Bishop of Montana (Retired)
69. The Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)
70. The Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer, VII Bishop of West Virginia (Retired)
71. The Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, SOSc, Bishop of Rhode Island
72. The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen, VIII Bishop of Maine (Retired)
73. The Rt. Rev. James E. Krotz, IX Bishop of Nebraska (Retired)
74. The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle, Bishop of Olympia
75. The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Bishop Provisional of Western New York,
76. The Rt. Rev. Mark Lattime, Bishop of Alaska,
77. The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee, XII Bishop of Chicago (Retired)
78. The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Lee, Jr., Bishop of the Great Lakes (Retired)
79. The Rt. Rev. Frank S. Logue, Bishop of Georgia
80. The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Bishop of Minnesota
81. The Rt. Rev. Kym Lucas, Bishop of Colorado
82. The Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop of Vermont
83. The Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)
84. The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Mayer, Bishop of Northwest Texas
85. The Rt. Rev. Dorsey McConnell, VIII Bishop of Pittsburgh (Retired)
86. The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey, VII Bishop of Rochester (Retired)
87. The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, Bishop of Connecticut
88. The Rt. Rev. Juan Carlos Quiñonez Mera, Bishop of Central Ecuador
89. The Rt. Rev. Rodney Michel, Bishop Suffragan of Long Island (Retired)
90. The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, Bishop of Iowa
91. The Rt. Rev. Robert O’Neill, X Bishop of Colorado (Retired)
92. The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, Bishop Provisional of Wyoming
93. The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, Bishop of Western Louisiana
94. The Rt. Rev. George E. Packard, Bishop Suffragan of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (Retired)
95. The Rt. Rev. Bonnie A. Perry, Bishop of Michigan
96. The Rt. Rev. Kenneth L. Price, Jr., Assisting Bishop of Southern Ohio
97. The Rt. Rev. Brian N. Prior, X Bishop of Minnesota (Retired)
98. The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island
99. The Rt. Rev. John Rabb, Bishop Suffragan of Maryland (Retired)
100. The Rt. Rev. Rayford J. Ray, Bishop of Northern Michigan
101. The Rt. Rev. David G. Read, Bishop of West Texas
102. The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Reddall, Bishop of Arizona
103. The Rt. Rev. Poulson Reed, Bishop of Oklahoma
104. The Rt. Rev. Gretchen Rehberg, Bishop of Spokane
105. The Rt. Rev. David Rice, Bishop of San Joaquin
106. The Rt. Rev. Austin K. Rios, Bishop of California
107. The Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, Bishop Suffragan of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries for the Episcopal Church
108. The Rt. Rev. Bavi (Nedi) Rivera, VII Bishop of Eastern Oregon (Retired)
109. The Rt. Rev. Phoebe A. Roaf, Bishop of West Tennessee
110. The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, IX Bishop of New Hampshire (Retired)
111. The Rt. Rev. Samuel S. Rodman, Bishop Diocesan of North Carolina
112. The Rt. Rev. Catherine S. Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York (Retired)
113. The Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Bishop Suffragan of Texas
114. The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan, Bishop Diocesan of the Susquehanna
115. The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, IX Bishop of Iowa (Retired)
116. The Rt. Rev. Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, Bishop of Maryland
117. The Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, VIII Bishop of Western Massachusetts, (Retired)
118. The Rt. Rev. Brian Seage, Assisting Bishop of Texas
119. The Rt. Rev. James J. Shand, X Bishop of Easton (Retired)
120. The Rt. Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, Bishop of Rochester
121. The Rt. Rev. Allen Shin, Bishop Suffragan of New York
122. The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk, XV Bishop of New York (Retired)
123. The Most Rev. Melissa M. Skelton, Bishop Provisional of Olympia (Retired)
124. The Rt. Rev. Rob Skirving, Bishop of East Carolina
125. The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, XI Bishop of Alabama (Retired)
126. The Rt. Rev. William E. Smalley, VIII Bishop of Kansas (Retired)
127. The Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, XIV Bishop of Connecticut (Retired)
128. The Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, X Bishop of Missouri (Retired)
129. The Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Sparks, Bishop of Northern Indiana
130. The Rt. Rev. Phyllis Spiegel, Bishop of Utah
131. The Rt. Rev. Marty Stebbins, Bishop Diocesan of Montana
132. The Rt. Rev. E. Mark Stevenson, Bishop Diocesan of Virginia
133. The Rt. Rev. William H. Stokes, XII Bishop of New Jersey (Retired)
134. The Rt. Rev. George Sumner, XII Bishop of Dallas (Retired)
135. The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Assisting Bishop of Washington
136. The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor, VI Bishop of Western North Carolina (Retired)
137. The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor, Bishop of Los Angeles
138. The Rt. Rev. Jos Tharakan, Bishop of Idaho
139. The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom, Bishop of North Dakota
140. The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr., XI Bishop of Louisiana (Retired)
141. The Rt. Rev. John S. Thornton, XI Bishop of Idaho (Retired)
142. The Rt. Rev. Martin G.Townsend, IX Bishop of Easton (Retired)
143. The Rt. Rev. Megan Traquair, Bishop of Northern California
144. The Rt. Rev. Michael L. Vono, IX Bishop of the Rio Grande (Retired)
145. The Rt. Rev. Pierre W. Whalon, IX Bishop successful complaint of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches successful Europe (Retired)
146. The Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White, Bishop of Southern Ohio
147. The Rt. Rev. Keith B. Whitmore, V Bishop of Eau Claire (Retired)
148. The Rt. Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Bishop Diocesan of Massachusetts
149. The Rt. Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Ohio (Retired)
150. The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah D. Williamson, Bishop of Albany
151. The Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Bishop of South Carolina
152. The Rt. Rev. Wayne P. Wright, X Bishop of Delaware (Retired)
153. The Rt. Rev. Rob Wright, Bishop of Atlanta
154. The Rt. Rev. George D. Young, III, III Bishop of East Tennessee (Retired)