Missouri congressman defends ‘A-woman’ end to prayer

Hannah Carson reads from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes inside her Charlotte, N.C., apartment on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. At 90-year-old, Carson reads her Bible daily, particularly her favorite verse detailing the different seasons of life. As soon as she received her absentee ballot in the mail six weeks ago, she filled it out and sent it back to her local election office. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan) (Sarah Blake Morgan, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says he was caught off guard by the negative response after he ended his opening prayer on the first day of the new Congress by saying the words, “Amen and A-woman.”

Cleaver, a United Methodist minister and former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, is in his ninth term in Congress.

Recommended Videos



Cleaver told the Kansas City Star that his “A-woman” reference on Sunday was intended to recognize the record number of women serving in the new Congress.

But it spurred criticism from conservatives who accused Cleaver of misunderstanding the meaning of “amen,” a Hebrew word that means “so be it.”