A single anonymous complaint is forcing a New York school district to cover a cross hanging on the side of a school building.
The large cement cross hangs outside South Richmond High School in Staten Island, a school well-known for serving special needs children. The building used to be a Christian orphanage dating back to the 1950s, but now the school leases it from the Catholic Diocese.
Although the 8-foot cross has been embedded into the building for more than fifty years, it only took one anonymous parent’s complaint to force the school district to cover it, according to Fox News.
Now, a large red sign saying “South Richmond High School Home of the Panthers” covers the historic cross.
The decision sparked controversy with many questioning if one person’s hypersensitivity trumps religious freedom or history.
Those who support the cross’ removal say this issue is about separation of church and state.
“The Department of Education leases the building on our campus and has the right to alter it as the lease allows,” said Director of Catholic Charities of Staten Island Vincent Ignizio in a statement.
“I appreciate the unique issues we have with the reuse of Catholic facilities to any governmental entity, and we respect the rules they are required to follow,” he concluded.
But many resident are wondering how far the removal of religious emblems will go.
“There are crosses and religious symbols all over Mount Loretto. Everyone knows. Are they going to cover them too?” one parent said in a story by the Staten Island Advance. {eoa}
Reprinted with permission from CBN.com. Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., All rights reserved.
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