(RestoreAmericanGlory.com) – A Catholic service organization that had been denied holding its long-standing Memorial Day mass at a national cemetery has decided to sue the Biden administration for violating its religious freedoms.
On Tuesday, a motion for a temporary restraining order was filed by attorneys for the Knights of Columbus against Peterburg, Virginia’s National Park Service (NPS).
The motion comes after officials refused to grant the religious group a permit to hold the mass at the Poplar Grove National Cemetery.
This denial is the second one after the group was denied a permit last year despite having held the Memorial Day mass at the cemetery for the past 60 years.
In a press release, John Moran, a McGuireWoods partner, highlighted that the policy and decision to refuse the group’s “long-standing religious tradition” blatantly violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the First Amendment.
Moran added that the attorneys were urging the court to grant the Knights the restraining order and allow the religious group to hold the Memorial Day service.
However, in a statement to The Washington Times, Alexa Viets, superintendent of the Petersburg National Battlefield, defended the permit denial.
Viets explained that national cemeteries were national shrines and a tribute to those who “died in service to our country,” therefore, events were limited to “commemorative activities” connected to the fallen heroes “military service” or that have commemorative or historical significance for the national cemetery.
According to the park’s website, vigils and religious services have been classed as “demonstrations” and are prohibited at national cemeteries.
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