MP DECR: "Politically correct prayer" in U.S. Congress borders on blasphemy

Emanuel Cleaver, who read a prayer with the feminine form of the word "amen" in the US Congress. Photo: Reschenthaler

The head of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, considers the "politically correct prayer", sounded in the U.S. Congress, as bordering on blasphemy. He said this on the air of Russia 24 TV channel on Saturday, January 23, 2021.

On the first day of the 117th Congress, U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, pastor of the United Methodist Church, gave an opening prayer, which he called politically correct. Instead of "in the name of God," he said "in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and a God known by many names." At the end, Cleaver said "amen and awoman" – apparently, having caught the English "men" in the word "amen".

In the opinion of Metropolitan Hilarion, such a “politically correct prayer” borders on blasphemy.

"Everything should have reasonable limits, and even the rules of political correctness should not allow for intruding into what is sacred to millions of people," said the head of the DECR MP.

He emphasized that "We Christians believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

“Indeed, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not gendered names, and these names are no longer appropriate for members of the feminist movement. Therefore, they changed the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the doctrine of God, began to call God with some other names and pronouns, including in the feminine gender. Now some politicians consider it their duty to follow these insane, in my opinion, rules of political correctness. From the point of view of the Church, all this is an unacceptable interference with what is sacred to millions of believers,” specified Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the U.S. Democrats nixed the words "he" and "she" in official documents.

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