Leesburg Residents Hold Silent Protest For Fired Chaplain

More than a thousand people turned out in protest of the firing of a local chaplain in Leesburg Saturday morning.

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Sign Up To Receive Our Daily News Of The Strange Email In August, Leesburg Regional Medical Center fired hospital chaplain Danny Harvey because he prayed using the phrase, "In the name of Jesus." Hospital officials said Harvey wasn't respecting other religions, but on Saturday Harvey and his supporters disagreed.

"If they asked me to pray, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, every time. But if they say no, I'm Muslim or I'm Jewish, I would do my very, very best to get them what they need," said Harvey.

Saturday's march from Leesburg City Hall to the Leesburg Regional Medical Center and back was a silent one - no yelling, no chanting, but protestors say their message could be heard.

"The message is prayer. Praying to God," said marcher and Pastor Tommie Jordan.

Protestors also wore matching shirts that said "My Jesus, My Freedom, My Stand." They said a silent prayer when they reached the hospital. At the end of the march, demonstrators signed petitions to help Harvey get his job back.

"I think we all have a religious freedom and if it would've been a Buddhist monk, I believe it would have been otherwise," said marcher Kelli Hill.

Harvey said he will now file with the Equal Opportunities Commission for religious discrimination.