On Dec. 2, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) filed a lawsuit in federal court to block taxpayer funding for restoration of mission churches in California. The suit charges that the recently passed “California Missions Preservation Act” is tantamount to taxpayer-supported religion.
The bill, signed by President Bush on Nov. 30, requires the Secretary of the Interior, currently Gale Norton, to make grants of up to $10 million to the California Missions Foundation to repair the missions and their artifacts. Many of these artifacts are religious symbols and artwork.