Court Bans Pastor’s Good Friday Prayer At U.S. Capitol
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – A U.S. court has prevented a prominent pastor and rights activist from praying at the U.S. Capitol on Good Friday.
Reverend Patrick J. Mahoney had sued U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and others for the right to pray at the same spot he prayed in 2020.
Mahoney said he launched the court case after the U.S. Capitol Police refused his application because the Capitol is still locked down. Thousands of National Guard units surround the area since January 6, when rioters stormed the complex housing Congress.
Mahoney confirmed that Federal District Judge, James E. Boasberg, denied his request for “injunction relief” to hold a Good Friday prayer service on the Capitol’s lower western terrace.
“Tragically, while business goes on at the United States Capitol Building without interruption, public and peaceful First Amendment activities are being prohibited,” he said in a statement. “The federal court and government have in essence created a ‘No Speech Zone’ at the Capitol,” often seen as the heart of the nation’s democracy.
“Let’s be clear, as of today, the United States Capitol Building is no longer ‘The People’s House,’ but rather is a place where the First Amendment [of the U.S. Constitution] no longer applies.”
In remarks obtained by Worthy News, he said that he still plans to have a Good Friday service around a 15 feet cross at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Statue in Union Square outside of the Capitol perimeter fence.
The service was to be held on Friday, April 2, at noon local time. “We will press forward with our Good Friday Service praying for the healing of our nation and sharing the powerful message of Christ’s enduring love and commitment to humanity through his death on the cross,” the pastor said.
He stressed that despite his court setback, “we will continue to passionately, prayerfully and peacefully work to see the ‘People’s House’ returned to the people. And the First Amendment once again honored and cherished at the United States Capitol.”
He warned that “if free speech can be denied at the Capitol, then First Amendment rights are in danger in every community across America.”
Attorney Brian Chavez-Ochoa, who argued the case for Reverend Mahoney, had mixed feelings about the outcome. “While we are disappointed that the Court denied our Application for a Temporary Restraining Order, we are encouraged by the fact the judge allowed us to amend our complaint” to allow prayers in the future.
He added that the court would hold a so-called “Preliminary Injunction Hearing” at a later date. “This matter is not over and will not be, until the Government permits, once again, the ability for all Americans to exercise their God-given First Amendment Rights at the Lower Western Terrace.”
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