"I brought members of the congregation and we said some prayers," Gomes said. "Everyone that came by no means agreed with this campaign but we all wanted to pray for them and want to end this thing."
But Gomes said he remains conflicted about the issue of a living wage itself.
"I'm caught between wanting to uphold the economic opportunities for all our employees and keeping this institution economically viable," said Gomes, who is an outspoken political conservative.
"I don't think there's an absolute religious answer," he said. "For me to change my mind I would need to do a lot of reading and I can't do that as long as I am out here."
-Staff writers Andrew J. Miller and Daniela J. Lamas contributed to this reporting of this article.
-Staff writer Joseph P. Flood can be reached at flood@fas.harvard.edu.
-Staff writer Ross A. Macdonald can be reached at jrmacdon@fas.harvard.edu.