Lawsuit Demands Removal Of Memorial Peace Cross

Grace Palo

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) The Memorial Peace Cross in Prince George’s County, a 40-foot-tall marble-and-cement cross, is being questioned in federal court next month regarding whether the landmark is memorial to men lost in World War I or a government endorsement of religion on public land.

The Memorial Peace Cross is one of many cases that involves public displays of religion. This case has attracted attention from several conservative members of Congress, which say the case threatens to eliminate other monuments, images and inscriptions with religious significance, including several located at Arlington Cemetery.

One federal judge has declined to order the removal of the Bladensburg cross, finding last year that it is a historically significant, secular war memorial.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit next month is going to decide whether or not the monument violates the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from favoring certain faiths over others.

The Memorial Peace Cross was built in 1925 with money raised by local families and the American Legion, the pink-hued cross honors the 49 Prince George’s County men who died in World War I. On the base are the words “valor, endurance, courage and devotion.” A bronze tablet lists the names of the men and includes a quote from president Woodrow Wilson.The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission owns the land and monument and pays for upkeep and repairs, according to court filings.Supporters say the monument is supposed to be commemorative instead of religious and is a part of a memorial park in the area honoring veterans of several wars. An American flag flies next to the cross and has served as a gathering place for events marking Veterans Day and Memorial Day for several years.

“The memorial’s message is one of commemoration for the men of Prince George’s County lost in WWI, not an endorsement of religion,” according to a brief filed by the commission and The American Legion to the Richmond-based court.

The American Humanist Society does not dispute that the monument is a memorial. The group says a giant cross on government property “magnifies, rather than mitigates, its stigmatizing religious message: Christians are worth venerating while the rest may be forgotten.”

The Supreme Court has not drawn significant lines in the law regarding when and where certain religious symbols can stay on government land. The court has allowed some monuments with religious content to stand while forced others to be removed. The cases have relied on particular facts, such as the size, setting and history of the display.

About 60,000 cars pass through the intersection of MD 450 and US Route 1 in Bladensburg, where the cross stands. Nearby, there are a half-dozen smaller memorials, including tributes to those killed at Pearl Harbor and in Vietnam. Across the street is a tree-lined walkway dedicated to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.