City To Redesign Logo To Remove Cross and Chapel

The Steubenville, Ohio Herald Star reports that Steubenville's City Council agreed Tuesday night to redesign the city's logo after a complaint (full text of letter) from the Freedom From Religion Foundation objecting to the depiction on the logo of Christ the King Chapel on the campus of Steubenville's Franciscan University-- including a Latin cross on top of the chapel.  According to yesterday's Herald Star, the logo was just unveiled in December.  Apparently the city planned to use the logo on city letterhead, signs, vehicles and on the floor of the courthouse. FFRF had argued:

Any claims of historical or cultural significance to the Latin cross on the Steubenville logo do not relieve the city of its constitutional obligations. The City of Steubenville must not endorse 'faith' and church. While we understand that Franciscan University is a part of the city, the city may not depict the university chapel and cross because to do so places the city's imprimatur behind Christianity.

The city's law director said that they will approach the original designer of the logo and ask him to replace the chapel on the logo with a silhouette of another campus building, such as the library or a dormitory. Designer Mark Nelson said they had already designed a version without the cross, but he does not understand why a silhouette of the chapel itself is objectionable.