California Episcopal parish refuses to pray for US prez by name

The rector of All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, California, says praying for President-elect Trump by name could cause trauma to some parishioners.

PASADENA, California – The Episcopal parish here has stopped praying for the President of the United States by name because praying for Donald Trump could cause trauma to some worshipers.

It is customary for Episcopalians and other Anglicans to pray for their church leaders and the President of the United States—including the President-elect in a transition–during Sunday liturgy.

Mike Kinman, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, blogged this week that

“Whereas before we prayed for ‘Barack, our president,’ we are now praying for our president, our president-elect, and all others in authority.”

Kinman cited health and safety as the reason for the new custom. “We are in a unique situation in my lifetime where we have a president elect whose name is literally a trauma trigger to some people — particularly women and people who, because of his words and actions, he represents an active danger to health and safety.”

“As I have said before, for some it could be as if we demanded a battered woman pray for her abuser by name. It’s not that the abuser doesn’t need prayer — certainly the opposite — but prayer should never be a trauma-causing act.”

All Saints Pasadena is well known for the radicalism of its staff and congregation. It once hosted an Islamist convention. One of its priests served as vice-chair of the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advocacy Board and praised employees of the abortion provider for “doing God’s work.”