Mayor of Edinburg and the National Day of Prayer

This year I received an invitation from the local mayor to participate with him in this annual event. I declined and told the council many clergy are suspicious of invitations from public officials to participate in what has become a highly politically partisan event. When the mayor was implicated in election irregularities, I was especially happy I had avoided the event. Politicians in trouble seem to be especially fond of this event and of wanting to be seen with clergy.

In San Antonio, I am a member of the religious outreach committee of the local chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Because of the problems this day is creating, this year we asked the Mayor of San Antonio not to participate in any National Day of Prayer activities and he agreed to our request. The request came from Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims.