The controversy surrounding Monday’s opening prayer in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on the day the chamber’s first Muslim woman was sworn into office has yet to get an amen.

Legislative leaders plan to meet to talk about House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody of Allegheny County’s request to form a committee to develop guidelines for the opening prayer, according to Dermody’s spokesman. An attempt to get that confirmed from Republican leaders was unsuccessful on Thursday.

Rep. Kevin Boyle, D-Philadelphia, has introduced a resolution that urges members offering an opening prayer to craft one “that is respectful of all religious beliefs.”

Boyle said he created the resolution after hearing what he called “a fire and brimstone evangelical prayer that epitomizes religious intolerance” from Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-Clinton County, at the start of Monday’s House session.

Borowicz, who has declined to respond to several messages left at her office seeking comment, spoke about her prayer on a Christian radio show on Thursday.

During Thursday’s radio show on the American Pastors Network, Borowicz was quoted as saying, "I had no idea that that would cause controversy. It wasn’t directed at anyone.” Nonetheless, she said she stood by her prayer and doesn’t apologize for her words.

Along with being nervous and excited about offering the prayer, she said the way she prayed on the House floor is how she prayers with her family. According to Philly.com, Borowicz told the American Pastors Network that when she gave the invocation from the House rostrum, she “prayed as I always did.”

Several Democratic representatives said Borowicz’s prayer tarnished the swearing-in ceremony of Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, a Philadelphia Democrat.

Johnson-Harrell had 55 guests – most of them Muslim like herself – seated in the well of the House in front of the rostrum to witness her taking the oath of office. Five generations of her family were present, including her three children and three of four grandchildren. Johnson-Harrell said she bowed her head out of respect when Borowicz started to pray.

As Borowicz’s words continued, Johnson-Harrell said she realized what she was hearing no longer sounded to her like a prayer but more like a political statement intended to “weaponize my swearing-in” with the mention of Israel, President Trump, Gov. Tom Wolf, and a forefather who owned slaves.

Johnson-Harrell said she felt attacked and some of her guests even became heated over Borowicz’s words and she had to console them.

Borowicz’s prayer came to an abrupt end after state Rep. Margo Davidson, D-Delaware, shouted “objection.”

At that point, House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, reached out to Borowicz in what appeared to be an effort to end the prayer, but not before Borowicz said, “at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus, that you are Lord.”

Davidson told PennLive other members were giving non-verbal cues to try to get Turzai to cut off the prayer “when it moved beyond prayer into something closer to sermonizing and remarks.” She said she shouted objection in accordance with House rules. The rules allow remarks to be made under unanimous consent but if one member objects, the remarks must cease.

“I am not sure everyone was aware of the rules so I needed to stop what was happening,” said Davidson, an admitted evangelical Christian. “It was disrespectful.”

But some Republicans said they were put off at hearing the iman’s recitation of the Al Fatiha, the first surah of the Quran, in Arabic at the start of Johnson’s swearing-in.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County, said whenever rabbis have prayed in Hebrew in the past, they always followed it up with an English translation.

“It was offensive that the speaker would have allowed someone to carry on in a different language offering what he was proclaiming to be a prayer that no one else around him could understand other than a few people who were guests with him,” Metcalfe said.

Metcalfe also was irritated by the Democrats’ stares and body language directed at Borowicz after Dermody made comments about her prayer being divisive and “beneath the dignity of the House.” He further disliked a statement that Johnson-Harrell made to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star accusing other members of being Islamophobic. Metcalfe is seeking support from other Republicans to have her censured.

In his news release, Boyle, who said he walked off the floor in protest during the opening prayer, reacted to Borowicz’s statements regarding that prayer.

“This is not your home where you can say whatever you want,” Boyle said. "It is the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where we show a common decency to one another.”