Our chapter has placed a new 10-foot-by-23-foot billboard at 10th Avenue and Broadway in Denver.

“Practicing distancing is extremely important these days,” notes FFRF benefactor Monty C. Cleworth. “Not just distancing for COVID reasons, but also distancing between church and state. We wouldn’t want to transmit anything that is unhealthy and dangerous.”

Adds Claudette StPierre, Denver chapter president, “We social distance to prevent the spread of infectious agents like COVID-19. Distancing between state and church is just as important to prevent the spread of religious dogma and doctrine into our government.”

Among local state/church issues is the taxpayer bailout money received by Denver-area churches. Associated Press, which found that the Roman Catholic Church was one of the largest recipients of the pandemic relief Paycheck Protection Program, receiving from $1.4 billion to $3.4 billion, reports that the Denver Archdiocese’s share was at least $1.9 million. Last fall an investigation revealed that more than 150 children were abused by 43 priests in the archdiocese and in the Colorado Springs and Pueblo dioceses.

Additionally, other Colorado churches and faith-based organizations have received millions of tax dollars in PPP loans.

“This is an unprecedented use of taxpayer money to pay the salaries of priests, pastors and staff of faith-based organizations, yet there is no accountability to taxpayers by these entities,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.

The billboard will be up for one month.