NEW YORK – Carrying bibles and singing “Amazing Grace,” a group of pastors knelt on the street outside ground zero on Saturday to protest New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision not to include a clergy-led prayer in the ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The group of about 50 pastors and supporters prayed outside the chain-link fence around the site as police and National Guard troops carrying shotguns and combat rifles watched from a distance. Protesters said they felt shut out of Sunday’s memorial service.
“Many of us served here after the attacks, and we know the importance of prayer and the presence of clergy,” said Rev. Rob Schenck, an evangelical pastor. “To exclude them from the ceremony was hurtful.”
Thousands of people have signed a petition asking for a formal prayer at Sunday’s ceremony, but Bloomberg has said it would be impossible to include all the religious leaders who would like to participate. His office says the ceremony will include readings that are “spiritual and personal in nature” and that there will be six minutes of silence for personal reflection or silent prayer.
City officials are also keen to avoid the religious conflicts that have flared around ground zero
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