Allowing this cross to be included in the memorial along with other artifacts found at the site does not constitute government endorsement of a religious message. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that these beams – part of the infrastructure of one of the towers – acquired historical significance by giving comfort to many who lost loved ones in the attacks, as well as those who spent days and weeks sifting through the ash and debris.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
ADL Supports World Trade Center Cross
As previously reported, in July the American Atheists filed a lawsuit challenging on Establishment Clause grounds the moving of cross-shaped steel beams found in the rubble of 9-11 and known as the World Trade Center Cross to the site of the National September 11 Memorial. Now a leading advocate of church-state separation, the Anti-Defamation League, has issued a statement supporting installation of the cross at the memorial. The ADL said in part:
