On Saturday, as President Donald Trump was preparing to formally nominate judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court , thousands of Americans took to the streets of Washington, D.C., to pray and celebrate, Newsweek reported.
Dubbed the National Prayer March, the gathering was organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and led by Rev. Franklin Graham.
On their official website, the organizers said that the event is a “dedicated prayer march that is focused solely on asking God to heal our land,” stressing that the gathering had nothing to do with politics.
“It is not a protest or political event, and we are asking participants to not bring signs in support of any candidate or party,” they wrote.
But, Graham made it clear that the crowd had gathered to support the president.
“Father, our country is in trouble. We need your help. We pray today specifically for the President Donald J. Trump,” he said at the event.
Vice President Mike Pence addressed the attendees from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, asking them to say a prayer for the “remarkable woman” that is being nominated to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by liberal-leaning Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last Friday.
Many of the participants wore Trump campaign gear such as shirts and hats. Some of them wore red caps with the words “Let’s Make America Godly Again” written on them.
Thousands stood next to each other in close proximity, and the vast majority of those gathered to express their support for Trump’s agenda did not wear masks, despite the fact that the novel coronavirus is still spreading rapidly across the U.S.
The attendees not only prayed for Trump, they also prayed on specific issues such as abortion and law enforcement.
Those gathered near the Washington Monument were asked to say prayers for “communities and families, an end to abortion, and salvation of the lost.”
The crowd near the World War II memorial prayed for “military, police and law enforcement, and their families — and peace in our nation,” while those outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture prayed for “national reconciliation.”
As The Guardian reported, Barrett is a staunch conservative and a devout Catholic.
The 48-year-old is a member of a faith community called People of Praise. Founded in South Bend, Indiana, in 1971, the group has been described as being on the “conservative side of the church.”
Democrats fear that her appointment could result in the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade , the landmark 1973 ruling that ensured abortion rights.
