Can prayer be offered at anytime during a council meeting, or is there a customary time for offering prayer in connection with the meeting of a public body?
The cases which have upheld prayer at public meetings have recognized the longstanding tradition of opening public meetings with an invocational prayer. Such prayer is typically given at a time when the body has just gathered, but before it has actually begun its business. The purpose of such prayer is to give the members of the body a moment to focus on the higher purposes which they serve as members of a governmental body, and to invoke guidance, wisdom and a sense of common purpose and cooperation in the actions that they are about to undertake. Prayer offered during the meeting, while deliberations are underway on matters of governmental business, may not be viewed in the context of this longstanding tradition.
Related Questions
- Can prayer be offered at anytime during a council meeting, or is there a customary time for offering prayer in connection with the meeting of a public body?
- Can a public body direct or restrict the kind or content of prayer that may be offered in connection with its meetings?
- Is prayer permitted at the opening of a meeting of a public body, such as a city council?
