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President Donald Trump is not a man of the pews, but has attende Christmas Eve eucharist at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, the setting in which Trump took Melania as his third bride.
Across the country, Episcopalians are suing him.
The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia has joined with the ACLU, and two unnamed University of Washington students, to file a lawsuit challenging Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim nations.
The diocese argues that work of its Refugee Resettlement Office (RRO) “has been completely disrupted” by the Trump Executive Order.
“Not only have families in transit or on the verge of transit been placed in additional crisis and stress, but the chaos surrounding the implementation of the Executive Order has also required the RRO to expend additional, unplanned-for resources.”
The suit follows by days an announcement by St. Mark’s Cathedral that its doors are open to immigrants and refugees and that it will shield them from any government agents who seek to take them away.
The Episcopal diocese believes the Trump executive order is aimed at Muslims, saying in an announcement: “While the words Muslims and Islam are never specifically mentioned in the Executive Order, references to ‘honor killings’ and ‘radicalization’ evoke the worst stereotypes of the Islamic faith.
“The addition of sections that make exceptions for religious minorities makes it clear that this executive order is a ban on Muslims in all but name.
Episcopal Bishop Greg Rickel has said, reacting to Trump travel ban: “This Executive Order is a violation of the foundational principles of our nation. As a member of the Jesus movement, I believe the United States has a moral responsibility to receive and help resettle refugees from the more than 65 million people who have been displaced by war, violence, famine and persecution.
“To turn these vulnerable people away and limit the flow of refugees into our country is the dishonor the One we serve.”
What is the church’s standing to sue?
“When the Executive Order was issued on January 27, the (church’s) Refugee Resettlement Office was expecting to receive over 20 refugees families, including families from Syria, Iraq and Somalia, into the community in the coming days weeks and months,” said the brief filed with U.S. District Court in Seattle.
“In fact, five of these families had already been booked on scheduled flights into the U.S. when the executive order was issued.”
The Diocese of Olympia runs a Refugee Resettlement Office (RRO) that assists in emigration of 190 individuals each year. As noted in the brief, many refugees have come from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Libya — countries covered by Trump’s executive order.
“The Episcopal Diocese’s refugee resettlement program stems from the moral obligation of the Episcopal faith to welcome and assist strangers, especially those who are poor, sick and most in need of help,” added the church’s brief with U.S. District Court in Seattle.
The church points out that before a refugee arrives here, the RRO is notified by the U.S. Department of State that a family has been approved for refugee status and that the RRO should “assure” the case.
The office is required to make contact with friends or relatives of the arriving refugees living in the United States.
The church’s suit names Trump, the U.S. Department of State, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as defendants.
While establishing standing, the church has also introduced social justice language into debate over the Trump travel ban.
“The Executive Order has caused significant additional harm to the most vulnerable population that the RRO and Episcopal Diocese are focused on serving,” argues the church brief.
“These refugees are fleeing persecution in their country of origin, and are now facing persecution in the safe haven they had been promised in the United States.”
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