ANAHEIM, Calif., August 9, 2002 (LSN.ca) - The Knights of Columbus, a 1.6 million-member Catholic service organization, adopted a resolution at its 120th annual convention “deploring” the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling earlier this year that the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional because it contained the words “under God.” The Knights’ interest in the matter is not new: in the 1950’s, it was lobbying from the Knights that helped incorporate the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance in the first place. In fact, Knights of Columbus began including the words at their meetings in 1951, three years before Congress and President Eisenhower passed the legislation. The organization called the judge’s ruling “yet another attempt to remove any reference to God from public life.” At the same convention, the Knights passed resolutions condemning human cloning and calling for conscience legislation for healthcare providers. They also praised President Bush for withholding funds from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and for signing the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. They reaffirmed their policy of not inviting to any of their events persons, “especially public officials or candidates for public office, who do not support the legal protection of unborn children.” To read the Knights of Columbus press release see: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-08-2002/0001780298&EDATE=