9/11 Museum Can Display Crossbeam Crucifix

9/11 Museum Can Display Crossbeam Crucifix


MANHATTAN (CN) - Displaying crucifix-shaped beams found in the rubble of the World Trade Center at the new Ground Zero museum does not violate the establishment clause, a federal judge ruled.

"By incorporating the artifact in the section, 'Finding Meaning at Ground Zero,' part of the September 11 historical narrative is told more fully, as the cross and its accompanying textual panels helps demonstrate how those at Ground Zero coped with the devastation they witnessed during the rescue and recovery effort," U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts wrote. "The cross, therefore, meets the first prong because its actual purpose is historical and secular."

Two days after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, workers recovered 17-foot steel beams shaped like a cross. The artifact soon became a focal point at many religious services held at Ground Zero.

In September 2006, it was transferred to Saint Peter's Church in lower Manhattan and remained there for five years until the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey donated it to the World Trade Center Foundation for inclusion in the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/03/29/56209.htm