Letter from Episcopal Bishops: “Whose dignity matters?”

January 31, 2026
Marcella of Rome, Monastic and Scholar, 410

“A message conveyed to The Diocese of New Jersey via email by The Rt. Rev. Sally French”

A message 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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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