WASHINGTON, January 5, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Washington-based Christian Defense Coalition is protesting a proposed ban on the display of crosses during inauguration ceremonies for President George W. Bush.
In a December 17 letter to the National Park Service, the Secret Service asked for a ban on numerous items during the inauguration festivities. The Secret Service sought a ban on potentially dangerous items such as firearms, explosives, and laser pointers; but the list of proscribed items also included “coffins, crates, crosses, crates theaters, and statues.” No explanation was given for the inclusion of crosses on the list. The Christian Defense Coalition, which was planning to hold a prayer vigil during the inaugural parade, received a permit that listed the banned items, including crosses.
Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, decried the ban on crosses as a clear form of “religious bigotry and censorship.” The restriction is even more offensive, he added, “when one realizes that it is only Christian symbols that have been excluded.” The Secret Service regulations explicitly allow bullhorns and signs of up to 20 feet in length.
Mahoney announced that members of his group “will be on the public sidewalks holding crosses at the inauguration parade even if that means risking arrest and jail.”