New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan has confirmed that he will offer the inaugural prayer at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. This will be the second time the cardinal has participated in Trump’s inauguration, having also done so in 2017. This information was released by Catholic News Agency, which also stated that an interfaith prayer service on Sunday will take place before the inauguration.
Catholic News Agency published the following on January 6, 2025:
• “Cardinal Timothy Dolan will lead the opening prayer for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Dolan also said the opening prayer during Trump’s 2017 inauguration following his 2016 presidential victory.” [1]
• “The president was kind enough to ask me to do the opening prayer,” Dolan told WPIX. “He had asked me to do the one in 2016 too, so when he asked me this time, I said, ‘Well I did it eight years ago; I hope this one works‘.” [1]
• “I reminded Trump that when Ronald Reagan visited John Paul II,” Dolan said, “both of them had been victims of vicious assassination attempts and barely escaped alive. And Ronald Reagan said, ‘Holy Father, Mother Teresa told me that God spared my life because he’s got something important for me to accomplish’ and John Paul II grinned at him and said, ‘Mr. President, Mother Teresa told me the same thing, so why don’t the two of us work together and get something done in the world‘?” [1]
• “Trump is also holding an interfaith service on Sunday, Jan. 19, one day before the inauguration.” [1]
On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, many Catholic and Evangelical leaders will be filled with a sense of anticipation, recognizing the unprecedented political power will soon be at their disposal. This interfaith Sunday worship service, which seeks to unite the churches on a common goal, will no doubt be used as a symbol of the growing alignment between religious groups and the Trump administration. These churches, particularly those with strong conservative or evangelical leanings, certainly are viewing the incoming administration as a golden opportunity to gain influence in shaping public policy agendas.
With Trump’s promises to grant churches unparalleled political power and access, many religious leaders see this moment as an opportunity to consolidate power and push an agenda that intertwines religious belief with government action, securing a level of influence they have long desired but never quite achieved. Make no mistake: Trump’s incoming cabinet leaders and other politicians will stand shoulder to shoulder at a Sunday ecumenical worship service with Protestants and Roman Catholics.
President Donald Trump has been criticized for surrounding himself with individuals whose views on religious liberty and the role of government in religious affairs appear to conflict with the core principles of religious freedom. Some of his advisors and appointees have helped to author Project 2025—an agenda that expresses support for using state power to enforce religious teachings. Donald Trump will be surrounded in his administration with certain figures who desire to see a theocratic vision in America established where government intervention in religious matters is normalized. This alignment raises concerns because the blending of church authority and state power threatens civil and religious liberty and ultimately erodes the rights of individuals to practice their faith freely.
As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe that we have a unique and divinely appointed mission to finish the work that God has entrusted to us, especially during moments in history when biblical prophecy is being fulfilled. We have a duty to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages to the world, which includes preaching the everlasting gospel, warning against the dangers of false worship, and calling people to honor the Sabbath as a sign of God’s authority. In times when prophetic events are unfolding—whether through political, social, or religious changes—we must feel an even greater responsibility to be active in spreading the message, knowing that the fulfillment of prophecy signals the closeness of Christ’s return.
“Are we to wait until the fulfillment of the prophecies of the end before we say anything concerning them? Of what value will our words be then? Shall we wait until God’s judgments fall upon the transgressor before we tell him how to avoid them? Where is our faith in the word of God? Must we see things foretold come to pass before we will believe what He has said? In clear, distinct rays light has come to us, showing us that the great day of the Lord is near at hand, ‘even at the doors.’ Let us read and understand before it is too late” (Testimonies, Vol. 9, p. 20).
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