dog cage animal shelter bergen Marty Haas – Fotolia

A blessing of the animals event at the Bergen County Animal Shelter has prompted a lawsuit in federal court by an atheist group that calls the ritual unconstitutional.

The suit says events in 2016 and 2017, in which a Roman Catholic bishop said prayers for animals in the shelter, violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Filed by American Atheists Inc. of Cranford and shelter patron Candice Yaacobi of North Arlington, the suit seeks a declaration that the blessing of the animals event was unconstitutional, as well as an injunction against participation by the county and its employees. The plaintiffs also seek legal costs and fees and other, unspecified relief. The suit names the county, the animal shelter and shelter director Deborah Yankow as defendants.