Kansas City bans religious symbols from City Hall décor, allows Menorah lighting

A memo from Kansas City’s city manager to council members instructed that holiday decor not include any “religious symbols” to ensure City Hall “remains a welcoming space for all.”

“As council members prepare for the holiday season, I want to share how we will approach seasonal decorating at City Hall this year,” city manager Mario Vasquez wrote in a Dec. 4 memo. he said.

“To ensure that City Hall remains a welcoming space for all and to honor the separation of church and state, we will not display religious symbols as part of our holiday decorations,” the statement said. “This helps us respect the wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs held by our employees, visitors and residents.”

Vasquez said “secular” and “cultural” decor would still be welcome. Kansas City leaders and members of the Jewish community held a Menorah lighting on Monday. rabbi tells local broadcaster Fox 4 He said this was particularly important in the wake of the anti-Semitic massacre in Australia.

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“We will continue to make the building festive with secular/cultural decor,” Vasquez said. “This includes decorated trees, winter greenery, lights, poinsettias, and cultural symbols such as the Kinara that represents Kwanzaa. These decorations celebrate the season without representing any particular faith tradition.”

“Kansas City has placed Christmas and holiday decorations throughout City Hall for many years, and this practice continues. This year, the Kansas City Council authorized the lighting of a Menorah to celebrate Hanukkah. We invite everyone to visit City Hall and admire our various holiday displays,” Sherae Honeycutt, city government press secretary and city spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Vasquez closed his memo by thanking council members “for their understanding as we work to keep City Hall a place where everyone can be included during the holidays.”

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway criticized the memo in a post on

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“We will continue to make sure the building looks festive with secular/cultural decor,” Vasquez said in the memo. (iStock)

Hanaway added: “Many Missourians are proud to display their religious symbols. It saddens me to see our faith communities stop celebrating because of ‘inclusivity.'”

“Our nation was founded on a fundamental commitment to the free exercise of religion. Unfortunately, history is replete with examples of people of religious faith being targeted by government officials because of their beliefs,” Hanaway said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

He added: “A public institution should not be in the business of discouraging religious views. I personally think it is deeply insensitive to exclude certain religious celebrations and sincerely held religious beliefs under the guise of ‘inclusivity’.”

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A Nativity decoration. (iStock)