UPDATED: Bishop Robinson's Prayer to be Included in Clips Shown on the Mall prior to Swearing In Ceremony

Coming on the heels of the controversy caused by selection of Rick Warren to deliver the Invocation at the Inauguration, the omission of the prayer delivered by openly-gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson from the broadcast of the pre-Inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial is creating a controversy of its own.

In a conversation with this writer, Jeff Cusson, Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs for HBO, confirmed that HBO was not involved in the decision to move Bishop Robinson's remarks to a time prior to the beginning of the actual broadcast:

"HBO had no involvement in the scheduling of those who appeared as part of the televised event. You'll have to talk to PIC about all of the scheduling decisions. We had a set broadcast time and went forth accordingly."

A high level source contacted at the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) has not yet responded with official comment or explanation for the record, despite several attempts to gain clarity.

UPDATE: A PIC source reports that some clips from the Lincoln Memorial event, including Bishop Robinson's prayer, will be played on the Mall prior to the swearing in ceremony. In addition, HBO's Cusson has also confirmed that the cable outlet will include Bishop Robinson's appearance and prayer in its re-broadcast of the event.

From information available to date, it appears that Bishop Robinson's participation was moved up in time to a time before the scheduled broadcast was to begin and out of the context of the event as a whole. In addition, sources attending the event report that neither the Obamas nor the Bidens were present on stage when Bishop Robinson delivered his remarks. According to National Public Radio, a large number of attendees on the Mall were also unable to hear Bishop Robinson's remarks over the loudspeakers.

HBO sources were earlier quoted by AfterElton.com as saying:

"The producer of the concert has said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee made the decision to keep the invocation as part of the pre-show."

UPDATE: According to John Aravosis on Americablog, a PIC representative has now apparently putting the responsibility back on HBO by saying:

"We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson's invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday's program. We regret the error in executing this plan - but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event."

As has been previously reported, the selection of anti-gay religious leader Rick Warren to deliver the Invocation at the Inauguration was a source of great distress for many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community due to Warren's views of LGBT American citizens as people for whom their sexual orientation is not an integrated part of their humanity but rather an aberrant "lifestyle" and his leveraging of his position as a religious leader to promote political causes in support of his views.

Bishop Robinson's prayer can be viewed via a personal recording by Sarah Pullium of Christianity Today.

The full text of Bishop Robinson's prayer is below.

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama

By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God's blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will...

Bless us with tears - for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger - at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort - at the easy, simplistic "answers" we've preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience - and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be "fixed" anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility - open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance - replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity - remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters' childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand - that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

Comments

[nomobull]

to those comparing the gay movement to the civil rights movement. the success came because they didn't attack individuals but went to the where the power to change their lives were. the people who made the laws. if MARTIN had spent his time attacking the bigoted remarks of the george wallace"s and bull connor' s. how far do you think he would have gotten.instead he took it to the law makes while forcing the people who thought like these men to look beyond the difference in their pigmentation to their shared humanity. he met hatred with love and peace and forced the comparison by which the evil in these people were exposed . but when you sink to their level you cause those you're trying to see it your way to be turned off.

[PoliticalAmazon]

1) You apparently are unaware that GLBTs had successfully won the right to marry in California. Rick Warren used the power of his pulpit totake away that right, and to make18,000 marriages and their children illegitimate.

2) If you think that civil rights activists didn't critcize government officials for racist blatherings, you are very, very wrong.

3) THe only way to educate the nation and the world about Rick Warren and his relationship with Obama, the president of the United States, is to tell people about Warren and point out the danger all our civil rights are in as long as Obama is promoting to the word Warren's bigoted agenda.

4) None of us are iconic leaders like MLK was. He had the luxury of taking the high road because the rest of us were in the trenches doing the dirty work.

5) Criticizing bigotry is not "sinking to their level." I wonder what your angle is in trying to make Warren the victim?

[tlgeiger62]

It was a beautiful prayer and I'm sure it will become a part of the history of the grand and magnificient time. I personally started emailing it that day so others could read the words and add their own thoughts as they sent their prayers up.

[AnotherTry]

I wonder if Obama understands the pain this has caused? I suspect he'll be dodging this issue throughout his presidency. Some change.

[lizr]

I saw his face and Michelle's face today and I still believe.

What happened hurt like hell and I hope they understand that.

I believe that things will get better for all of us soon.

[Petey131]

I am gay and I do not feel pain from this prayer omission . There are bigger problems to deal with.

[PoliticalAmazon]

This whole BigotGate has seemed like a bad nightmare from the last 8 years. Repeatedly the Dems in Congress had been told that their continued voting for the neocon measures would put them, and us, in a bad place because, not only would their own legacy be damaged, but they would not be able to take the moral high ground on the same issue in the future.

And it turned out we were correct. This is exactly the problem we are facing in prosecuting Bush/Cheney. There is no way it's not going to drag in their Dem congressional co-coinspirators.

Now with Obama and BigotGate, we pleaded with him to disinvite Warren because Warren is a bigot, an antisemitic and a dominionist, who had worked successfully to take away rights from GLBTs. We argued that having Warren at Obama's administration was endorsing and promoting Warren on an international level, and that it would stain Obama's legacy when the world became aware of what Warren is all about. We argued that Obama cannot afford to throw any of his groups of strong supporters under the bus because he may need them in 2012. We advised him of the great humiliation and pain he would cause for those Warren has harmed with his bigotry.

And we were ignored.

I have a strong feeling this will come back to weaken Obama's chances in 2012.

It was such a fracking stupid, needless thing for him to do.

[TierraDelFuego]

The PIC and HBO are responsible. They are the ones who plan and double check the schedule. They are the units backed by millions of dollars, hundreds of staff, and many career and experienced people. After Rick Warren was selected the firestorm of outrage was in the face of everyone at the PIC, right up to the attention of Barack Obama. Everyone at the PIC had to know, even Obama, but no word of explanation or support came from the tight group around the president elect.

The failure to include coverage of Rev. Robinson is inexcusable as the religious Christian spotlight is featured on Rick Warren. Sorry PIC and HBO, you knew this was happening and I believe this was all orchestrated by the staff around Obama. Political strategy perhaps to feed the vacant minds of the evangelical block, pacify the Ann Coulter mind set, and then after Mr. Obama becomes president retrack and offer olive branch and fireside chats to the GLBT and liberal minded community that worked so hard for Real Change.

I don't like being coaxed into believing I was an equal partner in this election and then told my time, effort, and pledge was spin, and I must return to the back of the bus.

I want is to hear from Mr. Obama and Mr. Emanuel some words of recognition and honesty. And I believe I am not alone, I suspect there are millions out there who feel as I do.

[Vurz]

Is it true that HBO didn't introduce the Gay Men's choir?

[lizr]

I watched it twice through. I saw no credit for them.

[tlgeiger62]

None of the chiors were introduced. NONE.

[lizr]

sorry- it's adding insult to injury once again.

[Enehoa]

I believe there should be a separation of Church and State. I worked my butt off for Barack Obama to be President 44. I knocked on doors, made phone calls, stocked food and water at his Arizona headquarters for volunteers. I became a volunteer at the polls to insure a fair election. I wanted "Change we can believe in". After the election I watched the President Elect choose a stunning cabinet to bring about change.
However I was disappointed by the choice of Rick Warren. He's a religious televangelist zealot. He doesn't represent me. The snub of Bishop Robinson by the PIC or HBO or both sadly denotes exclusion not inclusiion. On a day which should be a joyous beginning, sadly in some respects it's the same.

[MarkInEugene]

If the inauguration committee truly empathized with the LGBT community, more care would have been taken to handle this better. And now of course the gay community is once again put in a position of disrespect and labeled whiners, spoilers, and malcontents.

The country is not ready to be the kind of enlightened society that values diversity and tolerance above politics and religion. We're just not there yet.

[lizr]

this is really sad, but true.

[Petey131]

You are "not there yet" because YOU do not want to be there yet.

I am gay and I am there and willing to move forward!

[MarkInEugene]

That's good. You stick to that and keep moving forward. Hope is a good thing!

[PoliticalAmazon]

I keep hearing that and I keep telling folks "this is horse$hit."

At the time that interracial marriages were made legal, there was a larger percentage of Americans who were against it than are against gay marriages now.

The difference? Back then we actually had politicians who knew that America cannot be seen as a strong country and an example to follow as long as we have institutionalized bigotry in our country.

[MarkInEugene]

Right...at my age, I have no doubt about what honest sincere respect for gays and lesbians will look like when it comes. It won't be like this....this 5 minute token speech, untelevised and virtually unreported. It will be more like a true heartfelt apology for years of abusive treatment and disrespect to fellow human beings. It will be a sincere inclusion and undeniable acceptance of the unique individuals that we are. It will finally be recognition that we are part of the great diversity of life and as such we deserve the same respect given to all of creatures that live on this planet.

Are we asking too much to be treated as equals? No not at all.

[truthglow]

And THIS is supposed to be a GOOD thing? Give me a break!

[outloudfll]

As a gay man, all I can think is "The more things change..." It's possible Obama might not be much different than Clinton by being at ease saying the word "gay" but also equally at ease dropping our causes at will. Heck, Obama might even end up promoting anti-gay legislation like the Defense of Marriage Act. I mean, Bill Clinton defending marriage...really?

Now that my cynical evil twin has had his say, I have to admit that simply not having Republicans in the White House for 8 years left the US more accepting of gays and lesbians in 2000 than they were in 1992. Hopefully the same will be true in 2012 or 2016. By then invocations and snubbed invocations and the inevitable throwings under the bus will be less important.

But if my evil twin can say one more thing, I found this timeline on the official Presidential Inaugural Committee blog less than encouraging:

2:10pm, Amy: The crowd is building. Take a look at the photos of people filling the Mall.

2:26pm, Sam: The photos you’ll see here are taken by Kevin Mazur, courtesy of HBO and provided by image.net.

2:40pm, Amy: The National Anthem just echoed across the Mall, followed by a rousing introduction from Denzel Washington. Bruce Springsteen is strumming along with a gospel choir to his song, “The RIsing.“

Seems like a sentence is missing somewhere around 2:29 pm. Silly me :)

[lizr]

OMG it's so very very disappointing. I really expected more.

[RRonin]

How about Pastor Warren doing the CHRISTIAN thing and inviting Rev. Robinson to join him at the Invocation? This shows exactly why Church and State should be kept SEPARATE. When you mix the two invariably SOMEBODY is displeased. I am one devout Christian who wishes Caesar would leave Jesus alone!

[Eric Rodriguez]

I recommend putting on hold all money & time for the Obama Administration. I also recommend not bad mouthing him.

Mr. President, no more political symbols or gestures. We need to see Policy/Action.

Do you really stand for liberty and justice for all or not?

[daovdd]

I think we are supposed to be happy that he occasionally mentions us in one of his long compare-contrast speeches about coming together.

The truth of the matter is that one of the main forces behind Prop 8 gets a national television audience. We are asked to shut up and give money to pay for it.

It's painfully obvious that the new president will keep us in our place: Separate and unequal.

At least George W. was honest about turning his back on the LGBT community.

[antaeus]

I love the boiler plate, too: " . . . and we all come together, gay and straight, . . ." Blah, blah, blah. Presidential rhetoric from the can.

[lizr]

I'm not about to give any money to pay for it. Let's see some respect before they ask for any more $$

[PoliticalAmazon]

As bad as Bush Jr is, even he didn't have a bigot like Warren give the inaugural invocation.

[PaulGutierrez]

I worked hard for Mr. Obama's campaign. I put my time into his campaign rather than the "No-On-8" Campaign because I believed in his message of inclusion. I was disappointed with the choice of Rick Warren, but I still believed Mr. Obama when he said he wanted to be inclusive. I was elated when I heard he had "included" Reverend Eugene Robinson in the "We Are One" event. I watched every second of the HBO Broadcast, but was once again disappointed by the lack of inclusion.

Today I find out that Reverend Robinson was excluded from the broadcast of this wonderful concert event. I have read the statements from both HBO and from the PIC. HBO promised they will include the prayer in their rebroadcast tonight. The PIC claimed they "always intended" to include the prayer and "regret" that it was somehow magically excluded from the broadcast. They think I should be satified that people saw the prayer at the event, even though half could not hear it. I'm supposed to be placated by promises that "clips" of the prayer will be shown on the jumbotrons tomorrow. Let's face it, no one on the MALL will be watching those.

I long expected to be elated and inspired to watch the inauguration tomorrow. I have been very disappointed by Mr. Obama and his handling of this situation so far. I have the audicity (or stupidity) to hope he will do better in the future. The alternative is too depressing.

[daovdd]

The lesson here is: We can't rely on people who do not have an invested interest in the struggles of the LGBT community to fight our fight for us.

Am I wrong in that both the new president and his running mate both said they DO NOT support marriages for all- but instead supported the same or similar rights in a different form?

Sounds to me that our new president was giving his California supporters a clear permission to vote to pass Prop 8.

[lizr]

"Magically" Excluded, indeed.

they must think we are endlessly credulous.

[PoliticalAmazon]

INDEED. That just add to the insult and humiliation.

[IseFire]

But they also think we will do nothing effective as a response. They may be right.

[CindyV]

You what bothers me most about the Warren choice and now the exclusion of Rev. Robinson? Obama's silence. With the Warren choice, Obama's spokeman said we should "get over it." Get over it? You bring into your fold a man who says the most hateful things about me and my community and I'm suppose to "get over it?" I would have appreciated it if Obama could have brought himself to say that he didn't realize that the Warren choice was so hurtful to gays. He didn't have to cancel Warren, but an acknowledgement of the hurt it caused would have gone a long way is soothing hurt feelings. And now this. It looks as though the LGBT community has been kicked to the curb a second time. For a second time, I'm told to get over it. I'm over it. I'm all over it. And I'm over Obama. There will be no celebration of him in my house. He and his people have taken away my hope for this country.

[LiteSleeper]

Cindy I've been saying this for weeks. The Obama people just want to keep compounding their dumb decisions. It was their idea to have Robinson on and they still couldn't pull that off. All we really wanted was an apology from Obama, not his lackeys or told to get over it. How bumbling they seem to be with such an easy thing.

[lizr]

Sadly I have to agree.

Tonight at work I had to listen to jokes about as s as s in ating a bla ck pr es id ent.

and of course I count ered them, sl apped them down.

But will he stand up for me and my people?

I am waiting to see it.

[PoliticalAmazon]

That's a big question.

It takes a lot of courage to stand up to people when they are in the majority and it may go against your future career if you do.

As an Amazon by nature, I've always been the first into the fray, always assuming that its here, in America, and there will be people to stand up for me when I need them to.

I'm not sure about that anymore. After all of Obama's prattle about "hope," how ironic that it was Obama who took hope away from me.

[Leah McElrath Renna - Huffpost Blogger]

The response by the Obama team and by HBO, as noted in the update above, appears to me to be much more appropriately proportional than how the Obama team responded to the Warren upset.

If seeing Bishop Robinson's prayer on the jumbo-trons immediately prior to Rick Warren's appearance to deliver the Invocation helps more people feel part of the "One" in "We are One" - then it is a good and excellent thing.

What some people see as "whining" is recognized by the Constitution as free speech and freedom of the press. Both of which are the agents of change that, in this case, helped the Obama team take action to become more true to their own vision.

[antaeus]

Well, keep looking for that silver lining. We'll see how "immediate" the juxtaposition is, whether it's noticed or even audible, and whether anybody cares. Fact is, Robinson's inclusion was itself only a token, it was an afterthought, and even then the Obama camp tried to hide him.

For those who are weary of this controversy, well, welcome to my world. If Obama makes substantive movement on equity for gays and lesbians in the next four years, then much of this will be forgotten. Otherwise, we'll look back at Warren as a kind of prologue, and our view will not be from the voting booth.

[daovdd]

You have got to stop drinking that orgage kool-aid.

How can a few clips in an opening montage be better than airing the full speech?

[lizr]

I am so very very disappointed and feel so very sad and excluded by the actions of Obama's group in excluding us once again.

how in the world could this happen?

I'd like to know.

[PlaceboStudman]

I think you hit the nail on the head with your last sentence. Obama's vision. And it's no secret that Obama's vision has not, and may never be the same vision that he stated in his campaign, that brought so many of us to support him.

President Obama talked about honesty and transparency in his campaign, and yet here we see, not only blatant disregard and disrespect toward the people who supported him, but we see a man who is obviously willing to lie to our faces about his level of support of gay rights. If we do not hold President Obama just as accountable for his injustices as we expect him to hold Bush accountable for HIS injustices of the previous administration, then we become complicit in allowing the oppression and segregation of not only the LGBT community in this case, but we allow the oppression and segregation of other minorities in the future.

Don't believe me?? Go back and research the Terri Schiavo controversy and how The Right Wing has suppressed and oppressed the rights of the chronically and terminally ill.

[lizr]

it's too little , too late at this point.

[soylentgreenleftovers]

GAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

Just swear him in already!!