The Archdiocese of Washington Sues Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for Refusing to Run its Christmas-Themed Ads

The Archdiocese of Washington has sued The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for refusing to run its Christmas-themed bus ads on the grounds the ads are too religious, reports The Daily Caller, which added that the ads “featured a silhouette of the the three Magi and displayed the text “Find The Perfect Gift,” the Archdiocese said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority told representatives of the diocese the ads were too religious in nature, but would likely be accepted if they were changed to promote sales.

“The Archdiocese filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority over the ads, which are promoting the church’s “Find The Perfect Gift” initiative.

““We’re entering into a season where people open their hearts,” Chieko Noguchi, an Archdiocese spokesman, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “It’s a giving season, both spiritually and materially. Our Find The Perfect Gift initiative seeks to remind people of the well accepted, joyful spirit of the season. It’s meant to remind people why we have Christmas in the first place.”

“The Archdiocese has taken out ads for metro buses for a decade, most notably for their Lent initiative “The Light is ON for You,” which encouraged people to stop by a Catholic church on Wednesday evenings to go to confession or for prayer and reflection. WMATA changed its ad guidelines in 2015, however, to prohibit “issue-oriented advertising, including political, religious and advocacy advertising,” according to WTOP.

“Metro spokeswoman Sherry Ly told WTOP that WMATA rejected the archdiocese’s Christmas ad because they violated that new policy.”