Title: Washington Post
Headings: At Trump’s inauguration, Franklin Graham, Cardinal Dolan and four more clergy will pray
At Trump’s inauguration, Franklin Graham, Cardinal Dolan and four more clergy will pray
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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. ‘God is not against building walls!’ The sermon Donald Trump heard before his inauguration. “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. When Hier’s selection was announced Wednesday, he mused about what his parents — who fled anti-Semitism in Poland and moved to America before the Holocaust — would think about his role. “ Whatever you turn to in the Torah, one can find connections and relevance to whatever period of history human beings live in. So that’s not going to be a challenge.” Advertisement
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Trump chose more clergy than his predecessors, who since 1989 have picked just one or two people to pray at their inaugurations. Graham previously prayed at the inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001.