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Source: AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
On the National Day of Prayer this week, President Biden, whom the White House has described as a “devout Catholic,” omitted reference to God in his proclamation, becoming the first president in modern history to do so.
Setting aside a National Day of Prayer came about after President Truman signed a law in 1952 calling on the president to dedicate a day for Americans to “turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”
Truman issued the first proclamation that year on July 4 to “coincide with the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.” But in 1988 Congress stated the president should set aside the first Thursday in May for the proclamation.