FFRFMCC Returns to Chicago’s Daley Center Plaza to Protest Catholic Intrusion on Government Property

The Freedom From Religion Foundation and its Metropolitan Chicago Chapter returned to Chicago’s Daley Center Plaza in Spring 2025, calling for religious institutions to keep their ideology within the walls of their places of worship, and not on secular taxpayer property.

In 2024, FFRF’s two state/religion separation banners were stolen in broad daylight, only one day after they were placed at the Plaza to protest the annual Catholic display erected there during each Christian “holy week.” In past years, the Catholic organization responsible for the religious display had featured a 20 foot wooden Latin cross, along with a 9 foot laser-printed banner with an image of Jesus Christ and the wording, “Jesus, I trust in you.” “Kneelers” were provided for visitors to the display to offer prayers. However, more recently, only the wooden cross has appeared, sans the Jesus banner. An Easter worship service right on the grounds of the Plaza is also held each year.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation feels such religious imagery, proselytizing, and rituals do not belong on government property, which our founding fathers clearly mandated should be neutral regarding a position on religion or non-religion. Not to be deterred by the theft last year, the FFRFMCC got back to work raising money from its chapter members to replace the stolen banners. New for 2025 is a single, two-sided banner featuring two modern-day U.S. presidents, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Both are shown featuring, in their own words, quotes reflecting a deep understanding and respect for the constitutional principle of the separation between state and religion.

The quote from Kennedy during his presidential campaign in 1960 reads: “I believe in an America where the separation of state and church is absolute.“

The quote by Reagan, taken from his remarks to the Congregation of Temple Hillel and Jewish community leaders in New York prior to his re-election in 1984, reads: “We establish no religion in this country…Church and state are and must remain separate.” This quote was paraphrased due to space limitations on the banner. His full quote reads: “We establish no religion in this country. We command no worship. We mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are and must remain separate.”

With a couple of added security measures to help prevent further theft, the new banner was erected by a team of FFRFMCC volunteers on Wednesday, April 16th and was on display for one full week.

A press release about the display issued by the national Freedom From Religion included a quote from FFRFMCC Associate Executive Director Tom Cara:
“We at the Metropolitan Chicago Chapter are proud to work with the national Freedom From Religion Foundation in providing a secular voice at public forums where religious institutions insist on imposing their sectarian beliefs on others who do not share those beliefs. As research continues to show that it is becoming more and more difficult for religious organizations to entice people into their places of worship to participate in nonsensical superstitious rituals, they now seek to proselytize on government property, which should never serve as a platform for promoting either religion or nonreligion.  But, wherever religious imagery and messaging intrude on secular taxpayer property, we nontheists will be there as well to present a counter point-of-view.”