Breaking: Legal Pushback Causes Biden’s NPS To Let Knights Of Columbus Hold Banned Memorial Day Mass
The Knights of Columbus a Catholic fraternity will proceed with their annual Memorial Day Mass at the Poplar Grove National Cemetery in Virginia after the National Park Service (NPS) reversed course and granted them permission. The group had held the service at the cemetery every year since at least the 1960s but encountered opposition this year following the enforcement of a 2022 policy change made under the Biden administration.
The NPS had initially categorized the Mass as a prohibited “demonstration” due to its religious character leading the Knights to file a temporary restraining order against the agency in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. However on Thursday afternoon the NPS issued a permit allowing the Mass to take place on Monday as planned.
The Biden White House has been markedly anti-Christian in word and in policy despite continuous attempts by President Joe Biden to cast himself as an observant Catholic. There are many critics when it comes to the contradictions between the president’s professed faith and the policies he promotes and passes, with most pointing to the issue of abortion as a glaring example of his departure from Christian ideals.
“We are grateful to the NPS for allowing the Knights to hold their service this Memorial Day,” said John Moran, a partner with the law firm McGuireWoods, which represented the Knights along with First Liberty Institute. Roger Byron, a senior counsel at First Liberty, also thanked Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Attorney General Jason Miyares for their support in the case.
The Knights had argued that the NPS was misapplying its regulations and violating their First Amendment rights and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by prohibiting the Mass. The agency had suggested the group hold the service outside the cemetery near the parking lot but the Knights deemed this proposal “unreasonable, unnecessary and unconstitutional.”
