Bishop from royal wedding marches to White House

The Episcopal reverend that recently drew worldwide attention for speaking at a royal wedding in Great Britain spoke in Washington, D.C., on Thursday at a vigil demonstrating against President Trump’s “America First” polices.

However, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said the gathering “is not a protest, it is a procession.”

“Love Republican neighbor, love your Democrat neighbor, love your black neighbor, love your white neighbor,” he told attendees at the “Reclaiming Jesus” event at the National City Church in Washington, D.C.

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“We are not a partisan group. We are not a left-wing group. We are not a right-wing group. We are a Jesus group,” he continued.

“We came together liberal, conservative and whatever is in the middle,” he said.

The vigil is part of a declaration penned by progressive Christian leaders known as “Reclaiming Jesus.” It declares that the church is “part of an international community whose interests always surpass national boundaries.”

“Therefore we reject ‘America first’ as a theological heresy for followers of Christ,” it reads. “While we share a patriotic love for our country, we reject xenophobic or ethnic nationalism that places one nation over others as a political goal. We reject domination rather than stewardship of the earth’s resources, toward genuine global development that brings human flourishing for all of God’s children.”

Thursday’s vigil began at the National City Church, and then will travel to Lafayette Square Park in front of the White House.

Hundreds of people attended the service at the downtown D.C. church, many having to sit on the church’s steps or watch via livestream across the street.

Despite the declaration’s aim of speaking out against the “America First” policies, Curry stressed that the event’s focus was following the teachings of Jesus Christ.

He called the vigil “a Pentecostal moment.”

Curry had a busy morning in Washington, meeting with Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He also participated in a morning prayer session, organized by Reps. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), both Episcopalians.

The Episcopalian leader became the subject of media attention after he delivered a riveting sermon at the wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday, where he cited the works of civil rights icon Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The late Dr. Martin Luther King once said, and I quote, ‘We must discover the power of love, the power, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this whole world a new world. But love, love is the only way,'” Curry said.

“There’s power in love. Don’t underestimate it. Don’t even over-sentimentalize it. There is power, power in love.”

–Updated at 7:45 p.m