No prayer service at 9/11 memorial
At least not officially approved. Which is as far as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg can control it.
Opinions on this vary.
HuffPo says the clergy ban is nothing new. But complaints are mounting.
When the Sept. 11 memorial is dedicated with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at ground zero this year, the names of the 2,983 deceased will be read by victims’ families interspersed with remarks from city officials and politicians, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Barack Obama. But some Christian religious leaders complain that other important voices will not be heard.
A growing group of mostly conservative Christian leaders say organizers have shut out clergy and formal prayers from this year’s annual 9/11 observance, which has taken on additional significance as the 10th anniversary of the attacks approaches and the long-awaited memorial opens.
Depends on how you report it, whether most of those who object to the prayer ban are “conservative” Christians, or whether they’re just easier to identify and name.
Some Christian writers are naming as well.
That was already in the background, when I read this article online about a looming Gulf Coast storm. And noticed a line in the middle of the piece.
A tropical storm warning is in effect from Pascagoula, Miss., to the Sabine Pass in Texas, a swath that includes the city of New Orleans, where residents Monday marked the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with song and prayer.
Because that’s what the heart does, when concerned about the lives and souls at risk.
