Gaston Hall (photo courtesy of Georgetown Net News)

Gaston Hall (photo courtesy of Georgetown Net News)

On April 14, 2009, President Obama spoke about the economy in Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall. 

The University told CNS News that the White House had asked them to cover up the gold ‘IHS’ (Greek abbreviation for ‘Jesus’) in the pediment above the podium. 

You can see the ‘IHS’ with a cross just beneath the middle window in the picture.

The White House wanted a ‘simple backdrop’ for the event and, well, Jesus would have got in the way.

Either this is just plain ignorance on the part of Obama’s team — a bit like the President’s remarks on what to him was a coincidental timing of Passover and Easter — or it’s censorship by stealth. 

I know what I would have told the White House team to do with their ‘simple backdrop’. 

Jesuit symbol (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Jesuit seal (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Georgetown — a Jesuit university — shouldn’t have capitulated, especially since the Society of Jesus has used ‘IHS’ as their seal since St Ignatius Loyola founded the order in 1534.  But then, they’re drinking the Kool-Aid in DC.

Jesus’s name was still covered in black when the CNS article was posted the next day.  

Is the Obama team going to request similar ‘simple backdrops’ from other religions or just from the easy target — Christianity?

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