In think tank speech, Robinson previews his life in D.C.

WASHINGTON – In something of a preview of what life in the nation’s capital will be like once he retires from his current job early next year, Bishop V. Gene Robinson on Wednesday joined in a discussion of the relationship between religion and public policy held at a think tank here. Although affiliated with the  liberal-leaning Center for American Progress since 2010 as a senior fellow, Robinson – a New Hampshire resident for 37 years – will move to Washington after he retires from his post as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in early January. “It seems to me that religious people care deeply about poverty and the growing rift between rich and poor,” Robinson said in his remarks Wednesday. “Both Old and New Testaments speak about welcoming the stranger, so what does that mean in a 21st century America? What is a pathway for immigration reform that takes seriously the religious call to welcome strangers, as well as LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) issues?” Ordained as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church in 2003, Robinson was joined in the discussion by another Center for American Progress senior fellow: former Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., a onetime Army captain who led congressional opposition to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that formerly dictated removal of gays in the military who openly declared their sexual preference. Robinson told Murphy and an audience of about 40 people that, in addition to continuing work with the Center for American Progress, he will join St.