WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to include the Wiccan pentacle among the religious symbols made available for the headstones of veterans.
The decision was made to settle a lawsuit brought by the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
The department previously had 38 religious symbols available for headstone engraving. Richard Katskee, assistant legal director for Americans United, said it generally takes a few months for the department to approve a new religious symbol, but it took 10 years and a legal battle to win approval for the Wiccan emblem.
"The Wiccan families we represented were in no way asking for special treatment," the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United, told the Times. "They wanted precisely the same treatment that dozens of other religions already had received from the department, an acknowledgment that their spiritual beliefs were on par with those of everyone else."
