In cathedrals and state Capitols, mosques and synagogues, Americans joined Friday in a national day of prayer for the communities and lives lost to Hurricane Katrina.
However, many houses of worship did not participate or drew few people, partly reflecting disillusionment with how the federal government responded to the disaster.
President Bush scheduled the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance as he tried to recover from his administration’s early missteps. He attended a service at the Washington National Cathedral with other leaders, along with evacuees and rescue workers from New Orleans.
But in Ohio, no one attended an hour-long prayer meeting at the Statehouse in Columbus, leaving the ministers and a few organizers to pray on their own before about 180 empty chairs. An organizer said the event had been publicized only the night before.
Several other pastors around the country said the government was, once again, too late. They had already held services in honor of Katrina survivors immediately after the tragedy nearly three weeks ago or had been mentioning the disaster at regularly scheduled worship.
Precisely the reason why it will be next to impossible to spin this one Rove’s way.