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.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who campaigned heavily against transgender athletes last year, called Budde a “woke Bishop” in a post on the social media platform X. Moreno, who immigrated to Florida as a child from Colombia, said Budde’s plea for mercy for undocumented immigrants was “insult to all of us who came to this country the right way.”

A scholar of medieval Christianity explores the history of Christians who spoke out, unafraid to risk official censure or even death.

Budde was raised in Morris County by a single mom and a congregation that valued hard work. "I didn't see myself as minister material," she said.