{"id":2249838,"date":"2024-05-21T19:07:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T23:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/catholic-virginia-organization-sues-national-park-service-over-decision-to-block-memorial-day-mass\/"},"modified":"2024-05-21T19:09:13","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T23:09:13","slug":"catholic-virginia-organization-sues-national-park-service-over-decision-to-block-memorial-day-mass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/catholic-virginia-organization-sues-national-park-service-over-decision-to-block-memorial-day-mass\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Catholic group sues National Park Service for halting Memorial Day Mass"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcatholic-virginia-organization-sues-national-park-service-over-decision-to-block-memorial-day-mass%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2249838&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Knights\u2064 of \u200cColumbus \u2063Petersburg\u2064 Council 694 from\u2063 Virginia took legal action against the \u2063National Park Service for denying their annual Memorial Day Mass \u2062at Poplar Grove National Cemetery. Represented by First Liberty Institute and McGuireWoods LLP, the group contests the \u2064new policy\u2064 that categorizes their religious service\u200b as a prohibited &#8220;demonstration&#8221; in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whats-merry-about-all-this-read-the-letter-general-anthony-mcauliffe-sent-his-exhausted-surrounded-men-at-the-battle-of-the-bulge\/\" title=\"\u2018What\u2019s Merry About All This?\u2019: Read The Letter General Anthony McAuliffe Sent His Exhausted, Surrounded Men At The Battle Of The Bulge\">national cemeteries<\/a>. The \u200cKnights of Columbus\u2063 Petersburg Council 694 in Virginia filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service for refusing their Memorial Day Mass at Poplar\u200b Grove National Cemetery. Legal representation from First Liberty Institute\u2063 and McGuireWoods\u200c LLP is challenging the classification \u2063of their religious service as a forbidden &#8220;demonstration&#8221; in national cemeteries.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Knights of Columbus Petersburg Council 694 in Virginia filed a motion for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-georgia-update-judge-issues-restraining-order-for-10-days-preventing-defendants-from-destroying-or-erasing-dominion-voting-machines\/\" title=\"BREAKING GEORGIA UPDATE: Judge Issues Restraining Order for 10 Days Preventing Defendants from Destroying or Erasing Dominion Voting Machines\">temporary restraining order<\/a> and a preliminary injunction against the National Park Service after officials refused to allow the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/catholic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Catholic <\/a>group to hold its annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/memorial-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Memorial Day<\/a> Mass in Poplar Grove National Cemetery. <\/p>\n<p>First Liberty Institute and the international law firm McGuireWoods LLP are representing the Knights of Columbus, which said it has celebrated the Mass at Poplar Grove National Cemetery \u201cevery year since at least the 1960s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The legal firms said that last year, the park service relied on a new 2022 policy memorandum from the director of the park service that categorized the worship service as a prohibited \u201cdemonstration\u201d in national cemeteries since it was a \u201creligious service.\u201d\u00a0However, the Knights of Columbus order maintains that the policy memorandum is only based on a new interpretation of regulations that have existed for nearly four decades. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe policy and the decision blocking the Knights of Columbus from continuing their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/italian-church-condemned-for-same-sex-nativity-scene\/\" title=\"Italian Church Criticized for LGBTQ+ Nativity Scene\">long-standing religious tradition<\/a> is a blatant violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,\u201d John Moran, a partner at McGuireWoods, said. \u201cWe urge the court to grant our restraining order and allow the Knights to hold their service this Memorial Day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to the park service for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit said that in the past, the park rangers at Poplar Grove National Cemetery helped the Catholic group with planning, which is consistent with the park service\u2019s manual, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/subjects\/policy\/upload\/RM-61_11-4-2011.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>stating that<\/a> \u201cNational Cemeteries provide the setting for patriotic services and ceremonies honoring those thousands of veterans interred therein as well as those buried elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/capitol-police-officer-who-died-during-capitol-riot-to-lie-in-honor-in-rotunda\/\" title=\"Capitol Police Officer Who Died During Capitol Riot To Lie In Honor In Rotunda\">national cemetery<\/a> had reportedly suggested to the Knights of Columbus that it hold its Mass on a patch of grass near the main parking lot designated as the\u00a0\u201cFirst Amendment Area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Knights of Columbus Petersburg Council 694 said another Knights of Columbus order based in Georgia was granted permission to celebrate Memorial Day Mass inside the Andersonville National Cemetery, and in response, the park service rescinded that permission.<\/p>\n<p>Roger Byron, senior counsel at First Liberty, said the actions by the park service were \u201cway out of line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the kind of unlawful discrimination and censorship RFRA and the First Amendment were enacted to prevent,\u201d Byron said. \u201cHopefully the court will grant the Knights the relief they need to keep this honorable tradition alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Knights of Columbus Petersburg Council 694 believes its case will be successful since the park service is violating \u201ctheir right to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-watchdog-alerts-defense-secretary-of-potentially-illegal-blanket-denials-of-covid-vax-religious-exemptions\/\" title=\"Pentagon Watchdog Alerts Defense Secretary of Potentially Illegal Blanket Denials of COVID Vax Religious Exemptions\">religious free exercise<\/a> under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Knights of Columbus Petersburg Council 694 in Virginia sought legal action against the National Park Service for denying their Memorial Day Mass at Poplar Grove National Cemetery. First Liberty Institute and McGuireWoods represent the Catholic group in this legal battle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2249839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP199165503249.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2249838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP199165503249.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2249838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2249839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2249838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2249838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2249838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}