Can government money be spent to restore historic Spanish missions?
Joe from California asks: Some two hundred years ago, Father Junipero Serra built the Spanish missions up and down the coast of California that are now in ruins. I heard on the local news that President Bush awarded the state ten million dollars to refurbish these missions. Now, there’s a lawsuit claiming that the project violates separation of church and state. Can they win this lawsuit? Jay answers: We’re thrilled that President Bush and the Congress allocated funds to restore these historic missions. These restoration projects are happening in cities and towns throughout the United States, especially historic churches and other landmarks in downtown areas. The ACLU has filed a couple of lawsuits, but they haven’t won one yet with their argument being that government funded restoration violates church/state separation. I don’t think this challenge will win either. Barry Lynn is challenging the California Missions Preservation Act, which provides some ten million dollars in federal fu
