A Joint Letter from 154 Bishops of The Episcopal Church: Whose Dignity Matters?

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A letter to our fellow Americans.

We, the undersigned bishops of The Episcopal Church, write today out of grief, righteous anger, and steadfast hope.

What happened a week ago in Minnesota and is happening in communities across the country runs counter to God’s vision of justice and peace. This crisis is about more than one city or state—it’s about who we are as a nation. The question before us is simple and urgent: Whose dignity matters?

In the wake of the tragic deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, we join Minnesotans and people across the nation in mourning two precious lives lost to state-sanctioned violence. We grieve with their families, their friends, and everyone harmed by the government’s policies. When fear becomes policy, everyone suffers.

We call on Americans to trust their moral compass—and to question rhetoric that trades in fear rather than the truth. As Episcopalians, our moral compass is rooted firmly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is what we know. Women were shoved to the ground, children torn from their families, and citizens silenced and demeaned for exercising their constitutional rights. These actions sow fear, cast doubt, and wear us down with endless noise.

We cannot presume to speak for everyone or prescribe only one way to respond. For our part, we can only do as Jesus’ teaching shows us.

A Call for Action

This is a moment for action. We call on people of faith to stand by your values and act as your conscience demands.

We urge the immediate suspension of ICE and Border Patrol operations in Minnesota and in any community where enforcement has eroded public trust. Because the rule of law is weakened, not strengthened, when power is exercised without restraint.

We also call for transparent, independent investigations of the people killed—investigations centered on truth, not politics. Justice cannot wait, and accountability is essential to healing.

We call on the elected officials of our nation to remember the values that we share, including the rule of law. Rooted in our Constitution, it ensures that law—not the arbitrary will of individuals—governs us all, protecting individual rights, ensuring fairness, and maintaining stability.

A Shared Commitment

Every act of courage matters. We must keep showing up for one another. We are bound together because we are all made in the image of God. This begins with small, faithful steps.

As bishops in the Episcopal Church, we promise to keep showing up—to pray, to speak, and to stand with every person working to make our communities just, safe, and whole.

We are committed to making our communities safer and more compassionate:

• So children can walk to school without fear.
• So families can shop, work, and worship freely.
• So we recognize the dignity of every neighbor—immigrant communities, military families, law enforcement officers, nurses, teachers, and essential workers alike.

You may feel powerless, angry, or heartbroken right now. Know that you’re not alone.

Each of us has real power: community power, financial power, political power, and knowledge power. We can show up for our neighbors, support small businesses and food banks, contact elected officials and vote, and learn our rights so we can speak up peacefully without fear.

Choosing Hope

This crisis is about more than one city or state—it’s about who we are as a nation. The question before us is simple and urgent: Whose dignity matters?

Our faith gives a clear answer: everyone’s.

Safety built on fear is an illusion. True safety comes when we replace fear with compassion, violence with justice, and unchecked power with accountability. That’s the vision our faith calls us to live out—and the promise our country is meant to uphold.

In the face of fear, we choose hope.

By the grace of God, may this season of grief become a season of renewal. May courage rise from lament, and love take root in every heart.

Faithfully,

† The Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White, Bishop of Southern Ohio

† The Rt. Rev Gladstone B. Adams, III, X Bishop of Central New York (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut

† The Rt. Rev. Diana D. Akiyama, Bishop of Oregon

† The Rt. Rev. David A. Alvarez, VI Bishop of Puerto Rico (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Lucinda Beth Ashby, Bishop of El Camino Real

† The Rt. Rev. David C. Bane, IX Bishop of Southern Virginia (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Barker, Bishop of Nebraska

† The Rt. Rev. Cathleen Bascom, Bishop of Kansas

† The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop of Indianapolis

† The Rt. Rev. Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, X Bishop of Newark (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner, Bishop Provisional Missionary Diocese of Navajoland

† The Rt. Rev. Patrick W. Bell, Bishop of Eastern Oregon

† The Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase, OA, X Bishop of Georgia (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Mark Allen Bourlakas, Assistant Bishop of Virginia

† The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, IX Bishop of Southern Ohio (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, Assistant Bishop of North Carolina

† The Rt. Rev. C. Franklin Brookhart, Assisting Bishop of Los Angeles

† The Rt. Rev. Kevin S. Brown, Bishop of Delaware

† The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown, Bishop of Maine

† The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop of San Diego

† The Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce, Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington

† The Rt. Rev. Elías García Cárdenas, Bishop of Colombia

† The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark, Bishop of Chicago

† The Rt. Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas, Bishop Suffragan of West Texas

† The Rt. Rev. Matthew Cowden, Bishop of West Virginia

† The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, XXVII Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Joe Morris Doss, X Bishop of New Jersey (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Assisting Bishop of Massachusetts

† The Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe, Bishop of Central New York

† The Rt. Rev. J. Zache Duracin, Bishop of Haiti (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Mark D.W. Edington, Bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe

† The Rt. Rev. Dan Edwards, XII Bishop of Nevada (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting, VIII Bishop of Iowa (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Douglas Fisher, Bishop of Western Massachusetts

† The Rt. Rev. Jeff W. Fisher, Bishop Suffragan of Texas

† The Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Hawai’i

† The Rt. Rev. James E. Folts, VIII Bishop of West Texas (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Jonathan H. Folts, Bishop of South Dakota

† The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin, Assisting Bishop of Long Island

† The Rt. Rev. Sally French, Bishop of New Jersey

† The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison, X Bishop of Western New York (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, XVI Bishop of Massachusetts (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Assisting Bishop of Southern Ohio

† The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Assisting Bishop of Massachusetts

† The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. William O. Gregg, VI Bishop of Eastern Oregon (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez, Bishop of Pennsylvania

† The Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn, VII Bishop of Lexington (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Michael Hanley, X Bishop of Oregon (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. John T.W. Harmon, Bishop of Arkansas

† The Rt. Rev. Gayle Elizabeth Harris, Assistant Bishop of Virginia

† The Rt. Rev. Scott B. Hayashi, XI Bishop of Utah (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Susan B. Haynes, Bishop of Southern Virginia

† The Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd, Bishop of New York

† The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Texas (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., XI Bishop of Ohio (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe, VII Bishop of West Missouri (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, Bishop of Newark

† The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Hunn, Bishop of the Rio Grande

† The Rt. Rev. Robert W. Ihloff, XIII Bishop of Maryland (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. James I. Jelinek, VIII Bishop of Minnesota (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Don E. Johnson, III Bishop of West Tennessee (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of Missouri

† The Rt. Rev. Anne B. Jolly, Bishop of Ohio

† The Rt. Rev. Charles I. Jones, VII Bishop of Montana (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer, VII Bishop of West Virginia (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, SOSc, Bishop of Rhode Island

† The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen, VIII Bishop of Maine (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. James E. Krotz, IX Bishop of Nebraska (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle, Bishop of Olympia

† The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Bishop Provisional of Western New York,

† The Rt. Rev. Mark Lattime, Bishop of Alaska,

† The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee, XII Bishop of Chicago (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Lee, Jr., Bishop of the Great Lakes (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Frank S. Logue, Bishop of Georgia

† The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Bishop of Minnesota

† The Rt. Rev. Kym Lucas, Bishop of Colorado

† The Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop of Vermont

† The Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Mayer, Bishop of Northwest Texas

† The Rt. Rev. Dorsey McConnell, VIII Bishop of Pittsburgh (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey, VII Bishop of Rochester (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, Bishop of Connecticut

† The Rt. Rev. Juan Carlos Quiñonez Mera, Bishop of Central Ecuador

† The Rt. Rev. Rodney Michel, Bishop Suffragan of Long Island (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, Bishop of Iowa

† The Rt. Rev. Robert O’Neill, X Bishop of Colorado (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, Bishop Provisional of Wyoming

† The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, Bishop of Western Louisiana

† The Rt. Rev. George E. Packard, Bishop Suffragan of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Bonnie A. Perry, Bishop of Michigan

† The Rt. Rev. Kenneth L. Price, Jr., Assisting Bishop of Southern Ohio

† The Rt. Rev. Brian N. Prior, X Bishop of Minnesota (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island

† The Rt. Rev. John Rabb, Bishop Suffragan of Maryland (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Rayford J. Ray, Bishop of Northern Michigan

† The Rt. Rev. David G. Read, Bishop of West Texas

† The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Reddall, Bishop of Arizona

† The Rt. Rev. Poulson Reed, Bishop of Oklahoma

† The Rt. Rev. Gretchen Rehberg, Bishop of Spokane

† The Rt. Rev. David Rice, Bishop of San Joaquin

† The Rt. Rev. Austin K. Rios, Bishop of California

† The Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, Bishop Suffragan of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries for the Episcopal Church

† The Rt. Rev. Bavi (Nedi) Rivera, VII Bishop of Eastern Oregon (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Phoebe A. Roaf, Bishop of West Tennessee

† The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, IX Bishop of New Hampshire (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Samuel S. Rodman, Bishop Diocesan of North Carolina

† The Rt. Rev. Catherine S. Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Bishop Suffragan of Texas

† The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan, Bishop Diocesan of the Susquehanna

† The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, IX Bishop of Iowa (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, Bishop of Maryland

† The Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, VIII Bishop of Western Massachusetts, (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Brian Seage, Assisting Bishop of Texas

† The Rt. Rev. James J. Shand, X Bishop of Easton (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, Bishop of Rochester

† The Rt. Rev. Allen Shin, Bishop Suffragan of New York

† The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk, XV Bishop of New York (Retired)

† The Most Rev. Melissa M. Skelton, Bishop Provisional of Olympia (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Rob Skirving, Bishop of East Carolina

† The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, XI Bishop of Alabama (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. William E. Smalley, VIII Bishop of Kansas (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, XIV Bishop of Connecticut (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, X Bishop of Missouri (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Sparks, Bishop of Northern Indiana

† The Rt. Rev. Phyllis Spiegel, Bishop of Utah

† The Rt. Rev. Marty Stebbins, Bishop Diocesan of Montana

† The Rt. Rev. E. Mark Stevenson, Bishop Diocesan of Virginia

† The Rt. Rev. William H. Stokes, XII Bishop of New Jersey (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. George Sumner, XII Bishop of Dallas (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Assisting Bishop of Washington

† The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor, VI Bishop of Western North Carolina (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor, Bishop of Los Angeles

† The Rt. Rev. Jos Tharakan, Bishop of Idaho

† The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom, Bishop of North Dakota

† The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr., XI Bishop of Louisiana (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. John S. Thornton, XI Bishop of Idaho (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Martin G.Townsend, IX Bishop of Easton, MD (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Megan Traquair, Bishop of Northern California

† The Rt. Rev. Michael L. Vono, IX Bishop of the Rio Grande (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Pierre W. Whalon, IX Bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Keith B. Whitmore, V Bishop of Eau Claire (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Bishop Diocesan of Massachusetts

† The Rt. Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Ohio (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah D. Williamson, Bishop of Albany

† The Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Bishop of South Carolina

† The Rt. Rev. Wayne P. Wright, X Bishop of Delaware (Retired)

† The Rt. Rev. Rob Wright, Bishop of Atlanta

† The Rt. Rev. George D. Young, III, III Bishop of East Tennessee (Retired)