The Most Rev. Michael Curry is using his recent bout of Royal Wedding fame to try to unite the country during this period of intense political divisions under President Donald Trump.
And despite the division, Curry says that he prays for the country’s commander-in-chief.
“I pray for Donald Trump, I do,” he told the Guardian. “He’s a child of God, just like the immigrant is a child of God.”
Curry spoke to the British publication about his Reclaiming Jesus movement, which is fighting against “a dangerous crisis of moral and political leadership at the highest levels of our government and in our churches”.
The movement, with its six-core principles, asks the faithful to reject policies that ban refugees and immigrants. It also pushes back directly on white supremacy, while also emphasizing that this religious movement has no affiliation to any political side.
“My hope and prayer is that what we’re really doing is helping the average Christian person of faith find their voice,” Curry told the Guardian. “We’re trying to find a way to bring people together and the values that we share is our starting place for doing that.”
Curry, who is the first black head of the Episcopal Church, gave a rousing sermon during the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle earlier this month. But he told news outlets that he thought the initial invitation was a joke.
“I got a phone call, and I didn’t believe it,” he told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. “A member of my staff called and said, ‘They’d like you to preach at the royal wedding,’ and I said, ‘Get out of here it’s April Fools. You’ve got to be kidding.”