As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the 10th anniversary ceremony commemorating the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11/01 will not include prayers or clergy of any kind. Evelyn Erskine said in an email to CNN that “the ceremony was designed in coordination with 9/11 families with a mixture of readings that are spiritual, historical, and personal in nature…it has been widely supported for the past 10 years, and rather than have disagreements over which religious leaders participate, we would like to keep the focus of our commemoration on the family members of those who died.”
Many are reacting to the announcements with frustration and confusion. A Facebook petition has been started by Fernado Cabrera, NYC councilman and pastor of New Life Outreach International, and Fox News’ headline reads, “Without clergy, it’s a victory for the terrorists.” Bill Donahue of the Catholic League rejected Erskine’s explanation since it’s not ever a problem for other major events like presidential inaugurations. Rudy Washington, deputy mayor in Rudolph Giuliani’s NYC mayoral administration, told the WSJ that he was “outraged”: “To have a memorial service where there’s no prayer, this appears to be insanity to me.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a radio audience at the end of July that the ceremony would include President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush, but would feature “no speeches whatsoever.” He added, “There’s an awful lot of people that would like to participate, but you just can’t do that.”
Moments of silence for reflection have been featured in past 9/11 commemorative ceremonies, and organizers say this year’s event will include a total of six moments in honor of the striking of the towers, the falling of the towers, and the strikes on the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. The New York Police Department has announced its own ceremony at Lincoln Center on September 8, which will include the chief chaplain of the NYPD and the Archbishop emeritus of New York.
