Today (November 28, 2017) the Archdiocese of Washington filed a legal action in federal court challenging the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority\u2019s (WMATA) advertising guidelines and sought injunctive relief after WMATA rejected the advertisement (above) promoting the archdiocese\u2019s annual \u201cFind the Perfect Gift\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rejected ad conveys a simple message of hope, and an invitation to participate in the Christmas season. Yet citing its guidelines, WMATA\u2019s legal counsel said the ad \u2018depicts a religious scene and thus seeks to promote religion,\u2019\u201d said Ed McFadden, Secretary for Communications for the Archdiocese of Washington. \u201cTo borrow from a favorite Christmas story, under WMATA\u2019s guidelines, if the ads are about packages, boxes or bags \u2026 if Christmas comes from a store \u2026 then it seems WMATA approves. But if Christmas means a little bit more, WMATA plays Grinch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe rejection of this ad to be a clear violation of fundamental free speech and a limitation on the exercise of our faith,\u201d said Kim Fiorentino, the Archdiocese of Washington\u2019s Chancellor and General Counsel. \u201cWe look forward to presenting our case to affirm the right of all to express such viewpoints in the public square.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the papers filed in Court today make clear, WMATA\u2019s rejection of the Archdiocese\u2019s speech amounts to a violation of the First Amendment, plain and simple. We are bringing this complaint to vindicate the basic principle that the government may not allow a wide variety of speech in a forum and then turn around and deny the Archdiocese access because of the religious nature of its speech,\u201d said Paul Clement of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, who is serving as counsel to the Archdiocese in this case.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur ad was designed to be placed on metro bus exteriors to reach the broadest audience and to invite everyone to experience the well-accepted joyful spirit of the season, or to share their many blessings with others less fortunate through service opportunities. The Archdiocese wishes to encourage our society to help feed, clothe, and care for our most vulnerable neighbors, and to share our blessings, and welcome all who wish to hear the Good News,\u201d said Susan Timoney, Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns for the Archdiocese.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The announcement on the Archdiocese of Washington website: Today (November 28, 2017) the Archdiocese of Washington filed a legal action in federal court challenging the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority\u2019s (WMATA) advertising guidelines and sought injunctive relief after WMATA rejected the advertisement (above) promoting the archdiocese\u2019s annual \u201cFind the Perfect Gift\u201d initiative. \u201cThe rejected ad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":256908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-mind"],"yoast_head":"\n
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