WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama opted for the safe choice for Easter Sunday, visiting the pale yellow church across from the White House where other presidents have worshipped. The pick puts off — for now — a decision on a new permanent congregation for the first family.
Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters took Communion at St. John’s Church on Lafayette Square, where they heard a come-as- you-are sermon tailored to doubters and skeptics.
The Rev. Luis Leon made no direct reference to the Obamas, who made their first trip to a Washington church since Inauguration Day under tight security and scrutiny.
Where a president worships — and whether he goes to church at all — tends to draw political as well as social significance. For Obama, his place of worship has been of keen interest, given his history with a Chicago pastor whose bombastic sermons almost destroyed Obama’s presidential bid.
Aides say he could join a historically African-American church in the nation’s capital, where 55 percent of the population is black. But they also say he could just as easily select an integrated church, similar to St. John’s.
St. John’s is a popular pick for presidents, both for its proximity to the executive mansion and for its familiarity to the Secret Service. A pew nine rows back from the altar carries a small brass plaque designating it as “The President’s Pew.”
