(NY) Cardinal Egan Asks Mall to Close On Easter

1010 WINS ^ | March 11, 2004

[NYer]

Cardinal Edward Egan has never been shy about expressing his views on gay marriage, abortion or welfare reform.

Now, the outspoken archbishop of the Diocese of New York is using the power of his pulpit to support hundreds of workers who are protesting their employer's decision to stay open on Easter Sunday.

Egan has written a letter to the management of Woodbury Common Premium Outlets' asking that it be sensitive to the religious beliefs of its employees.

Roughly 400 of the shopping center's 2,000 workers signed a petition denouncing the outlet center's decision, which was disclosed in a circular distributed to workers in January. A copy of the petition was then sent to Egan, the spiritual leader for more than 2 million New York Catholics.

Diocesan officials said they now hope to meet with Chelsea Property Group, which runs the shopping center 49 miles north of New York City.

Should Woodbury Common keep its doors open on Easter, it will be the first time in its 18-year history.

The shopping center's management has said because Woodbury Common is an international destination, it was opening to meet customer demand.

[yoe]

Were it other than a Christian celebration, the mall would certainly be closed.

[Alberta's Child]

Woodbury Common is about a two-minute drive from the Hasidic enclave of Kiryas Joel -- and it has been open on every Jewish holiday for as long as I can remember.

I don't have a problem with the Archdiocese of New York taking a stand on this, but in my opinion the time to make a stand is long past. For the sake of consistency, the same stand should have been taken as soon as the mall opened on a Sunday for the first time.

[CatoRenasci]

Even as a Christian, I have no problem with them being open on Easter, assuming that all Christian employees have the day off without any retaliation. It's a RELIGIOUS holiday, not a state holiday, and businesses should be free do do what they think is in their commercial interests as long as they don't force their employees to violate their religious beliefs. If enough people don't want to shop on Easter, it won't be worth their having opened (in pure marginal cost terms) and they won't do it again.

[Desdemona]

Please, forgive someone who comes from a totally different part of the country...I've worked on Easter. Many times. So what? I'm not sure what stores are open here on Easter, but all the cultural institutions are.

Easter is the more important feast and yet everything closes for Christmas. Interesting.

[Labyrinthos]

From my observations, a significant minority of the shoppers at that mall are Hassidic, Lubuvich, and Orthodox Jews, Asians, and Islamics. The mall never shuts for any other non-state recognized holiday. As long as Christians are not required to work, then there really isn't a problem. And note that there is sort of an unwritten rule in the NYC Metro Area whereby Jews fill in for Christians on the Christian Holidays, and Christians fill in for Jews on the Jewish Holidays. You won't see it in writing, but its the rule and it works.

[McGavin999]

Call in sick. Even though the stores are open here on Sunday I rarely bother to go on Sunday.

[Stone Mountain]

Were it other than a Christian celebration, the mall would certainly be closed.

Really? What non-Christian holidays is the mall closed?

[Salvation]

**Now, the outspoken archbishop of the Diocese of New York is using the power of his pulpit to support hundreds of workers who are protesting their employer's decision to stay open on Easter Sunday.**

I've got to give Cardinal Egan credit here!