Washington Episcopal bishop Mariann Budde to step down in 2028
Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington since 2011, will leave her post in June 2028 after a successor is chosen, marking a planned leadership change at the diocese that oversees Washington National Cathedral.
What happened
The Rt Rev Mariann Edgar Budde has announced she will resign as Episcopal bishop of Washington, ending her time in office on 3 June 2028. In a letter to the diocese dated 1 October 2026, she said the decision was reached with diocesan leaders and the office of the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop. She did not give further reasons for stepping down.
The diocese will elect her successor at its convention on 29 January 2028, with the Standing Committee overseeing the process. Budde will remain in post until the next diocesan bishop is consecrated, ensuring a handover rather than an abrupt change. The new bishop will be the tenth to lead the diocese, which covers the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties.
Budde has served as bishop since November 2011, when she became the ninth bishop of Washington and the first woman elected to the role. Before that, she spent 18 years as rector of St John's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. She also chairs the foundation that oversees Washington National Cathedral.
Why it matters
Budde came to wider public attention in January 2025, when she used a prayer service at Washington National Cathedral the day after Donald Trump's second inauguration to urge him to show mercy to people who were afraid, including LGBTQ+ children and immigrant workers. Trump later attacked her on social media and said she and her church should apologise, and false online claims circulated that she had been removed from her post. Her planned departure in 2028 will bring a new leader to a prominent diocese whose cathedral often hosts national services and public events.
The context
- Budde's letter says her tenure ends on 3 June 2028, and that the next bishop will be elected at the Diocesan Convention on 29 January 2028.
- Budde became the ninth bishop of Washington in November 2011. She was the first woman elected to the role. The diocese covers the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties.
- Before becoming bishop, Budde spent 18 years as rector of St John's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. She also chairs the foundation that oversees Washington National Cathedral.
- At the National Cathedral service on 21 January 2025, Budde asked Trump to have mercy on people who were scared, including LGBTQ+ children and immigrant workers. On Truth Social, Trump called her a 'Radical Left hard line Trump hater' and said she and her church owed the public an apology.
- Claims that went round online in early 2025 saying Budde had been removed from her post were false. A cathedral spokesperson confirmed at the time that she remained bishop.