Virginia Governor Restores Police Chaplains' Right To Deliver Sectarian Prayers

In Virginia, a State Police policy adopted in 2008 requiring police chaplains to deliver non-sectarian prayers at official events has been reversed by Gov. Bob McDonnell's administration. Yesterday's Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot reports on the change that had been pressed by the Family Foundation of Virginia. When the prior policy was adopted by the Gov. Tim Kaine administration, six of the department's seventeen volunteer chaplains resigned in protest. (See prior posting.) The policy restored yesterday allows chaplains to pray according to the dictates of their own conscience, in accordance with their faith traditions, while being respectful of other faiths. The ACLU of Virginia (press release) had urged McDonnell to ignore lobbying efforts of those who wanted sectarian prayer restored.