The leaders came from a variety of religions for the “Vote is Sacred” campaign
PITTSBURGH —
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and leaders from various faith traditions gathered at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as part of the “Vote is Sacred” tour, aiming to inspire Americans to vote and highlight the importance of every voice ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
“It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? It’s a neighborly day in this beautywood,” they sang, quoting Pittsburgh’s own Mr. Rogers.
Standing outside the seminary, where Mr. Rogers was ordained, Peduto and faith leaders shared their unified message.
“We come from different religious traditions. We worship differently, we understand God differently, and some of our neighbors profess no religion at all. But we can stand together,” said the Rev. Thomas Bowen of the Interfaith Alliance.
The group emphasized that while Americans may not think or pray alike, their differences should never be used as an excuse to deny one another the rights of citizenship.
“We’re not asking everyone to think alike, because we do not all pray alike. We are asking Americans to recognize that our differences must never become an excuse to deny one another the rights of citizenship,” the group said.
The “Vote is Sacred” tour spans 9,000 miles across 15 states, leading up to Election Day. The initiative focuses not on voting a certain way but on voting your way.
“When we vote, we are watching out for our neighbor,” the group said.
The tour bus departed Pittsburgh for Maine and will visit states including Florida and Colorado before the polls open.