(NPR) Senate Gets A Dose Of Scolding With Its Morning Prayer

It’s easy to tune out when the Senate goes through its morning rituals. The president pro tem calls the chamber to order; there’s the Pledge of Allegiance. One morning could sound like any other.

Except for the past two weeks. Barry C. Black, the Senate chaplain, has been using his morning prayers to say exactly what he thinks is wrong with Washington lawmakers: “Remove from them that stubborn pride, which imagines itself to be above and beyond criticism.”

A retired rear admiral who often sports a bow tie, Black became the Senate’s first African-American chaplain when he took the job 10 years ago.

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