Archdiocese Sues DC Metro For Rejecting Religious Ad

WASHINGTON, DC — The Archdiocese of Washington filed a federal lawsuit against Metro after the agency refused to sell ad space for a Christmas fundraising campaign because the ads depict a religious scene.

The Catholic church filed the lawsuit Tuesday after the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rejected their "Find the Perfect Gift" campaign. The ad portrayed silhouettes of three shepherds and sheep looking up into a starry sky and promoted the website FindthePerfectGift.org, which states that "Jesus is the perfect gift" and provides religious information.

According to the lawsuit, WMATA rejected the Archdiocese's "Find the Perfect Gift" campaign because it did not comply with WMATA guidelines. Metro prohibits "advertisements that promote or oppose any religion, religious practice, or belief."

The Archdiocese of Washington’s Chancellor and General Counsel, Kim Fiorentino, said the rejection of the ad is a violation of free speech.

The FindthePerfectGift.org site "contains links to Mass schedules, opportunities for charitable service, information about religious holiday traditions and reflections on the meaning of the Advent and Christmas seasons," the lawsuit states.

The Archdiocese planned to display the ads on public city buses, the lawsuit states, because "there is no medium that will reach the Archdiocese's broad audience as consistently or effectively as bus advertising."

Ed McFadden, Secretary for Communications for the Archdiocese of Washington, said in a statement that the ad "conveys a simple message of hope, and an invitation to participate in the Christmas season."

"WMATA has denied the Archdiocese's 'Find the Perfect Gift' advertisements, which contain no explicit references to religion, religious practice, or belief," the lawsuit states. "At the same time, WMATA accepts advertisements that promote yoga practices as a mechanism to 'take you on an inner journey of self-discovery' and to lead to the 'acknowledgement of one soul to another.'"

"The ban effectively silences any viewpoint that might challenge commercialism or consumerism or attempt to emphasize the religious reason for the season," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also cites how WMATA "routinely accepts" advertisements that promote the Salvation Army's Christmas-related fundraising activities. The Salvation Army is an openly religious organization based on Protestant Christian principles, the lawsuit states.

In an email to NBC Washington, Metro spokeswoman Sherri Ly said:

"In 2015, WMATA changed its advertising policy to prohibit issue-oriented advertising, including political, religious and advocacy advertising. The ad in question was declined because it is prohibited by WMATA’s current advertising guidelines."

Photo: Perfect Gift Ad via Archdiocese of Washington