Under a cloudy and drizzly sky, across the street from the U.S. Capitol, David Beckmann read passages from the prophet Isaiah.

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God,” read Beckmann, president of Bread for the World and one of several Protestant and Catholic leaders who gathered Wednesday (Oct. 9) to launch “Faithful Filibuster.”

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The reading of Scripture will continue at the beginning of each day’s session of Congress, as long as Congress is in session. Religious leaders hope Congress will pass “a budget that cares for the poor and vulnerable.”

The Circle of Protection, a coalition of denominational and nonprofit leaders that supports programs that assist the poor, organized the event.