In a shocking display of blatant wokeness, the leader of the Episcopal Church has announced that his denomination is unwilling to support the dozens of Afrikaners who recently were granted refugee status by the Trump Administration, explaining in a letter that the church was ending its federal refugee resettlement partnership.
For context, in an official church letter from May 12, 2025, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe of the Episcopal Church announced that his denomination would not be supporting a group of South African refugees who came to the United States fleeing persecution in their home country. Bishop Rowe explained that the Episcopal Church could not support the refugees because of its “commitment to racial justice and reconciliation.”
In the letter, Bishop Rowe described the treatment of the group of South Africans as “painful to watch,” adding, “I am saddened and ashamed that many of the refugees who are being denied entrance to the United States are brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face danger at home because of their service to our country. I also grieve that victims of religious persecution, including Christians, have not been granted refuge in recent months.”
Moreover, Bishop Rowe called all Christians to be guided by “the sure and certain knowledge that the kingdom of God is revealed in us in the struggles of those on the margins.” He added, “Jesus tells us to care for the poor and vulnerable as we would care for him, and we must follow that command. Right now, what that means is ending our participation in the federal government’s refugee resettlement program and investing our resources in serving migrants in other ways.”
Continuing, Bishop Rowe explained the employees of the Episcopal Migration Ministries group would be fired due to the change, saying, “Now that we are ending our involvement in federally funded refugee resettlement, we have asked the administration to work toward a mutual agreement that will allow us to wind down all federally funded services by the end of the federal fiscal year in September.” He added, “We are working with the affected staff members to provide extensive outplacement services and severance packages.”
Concluding his letter, Bishop Rowe urged parishioners to “pray for vetted refugees who have not been granted permission to come to this country,” along with “the staff who will be affected by the end of these federal grants, and for everyone who grieves the end of our federal refugee resettlement work.”
On the same day, Bishop Rowe appeared on ABC News and argued that the Episcopal Church “can’t be ourselves…and take this step of re-settling White Afrikaners from South Africa. Our church has a long commitment to racial justice and reconciliation.”
In the same interview, Bishop Rowe explained that his denomination was unwilling to support the South African refugees because of “historic ties with the Anglican Church of South Africa.” He concluded, “Desmond Tutu has been a partner in this work for us, so we’re just not able to take this step. It’s not in line with anything that we’re about.”
Watch Bishop Rowe on ABC:
Featured Image Credit: Screengrab from the embedded video