Court Rejects Atheists’ Lawsuit to Remove ‘Ground Zero Cross’
NEW YORK (Worthy News)– American Atheists lost another round in its legal battle to remove the “Ground Zero Cross” which is now on display at New York’s National September 11 Memorial and Museum.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled on Monday in favor of the defendants, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, arguing that the display of the “Ground Zero Cross” does not violate the separation of church and state or imply that the government has taken a position on Christianity.
The Ground Zero Cross, a 17-foot high column and crossbeam, was discovered among World Trade Center debris by construction worker Frank Silecchia two days after the Sept. 11 attacks. Moved by the artifact, he decided to show it to other workers, and the cross quickly became a symbol of hope for first-responders as well as families and friends of victims of the terrorist strike. — Source