Moon ceremony causes uproar in D.C.

WASHINGTON — As a shining symbol of democracy, the U.S. Capitol is not ordinarily a place where coronations occur. So news that the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the eccentric and exceedingly wealthy Korean-born businessman, donned a crown in a Senate office building and declared himself the Messiah while members of Congress watched is causing a bit of a stir.

One congressman, Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill., wore white gloves and carried a pillow holding one of two ornate gold crowns that were placed on the heads of Moon and his wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, at the ceremony, which took place March 23 and capped a reception billed as a peace awards banquet.

Davis, for the record, says he held the wife's crown and was "a bit surprised" by Moon's Messiah remarks, which were delivered in Korean but accompanied by a written translation. In them, he said emperors, kings and presidents had "declared to all heaven and earth that Reverend Sun Myung Moon is none other than humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent."

By Wednesday, after news of the event had been reported in the online magazine Salon and various newspapers, Capitol Hill was in full-blown backpedaling mode, as lawmakers who attended but missed the coronation— or saw it and did not think much of it — struggled to explain themselves.

"I remember the king and queen thing," said Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, R-Md., "But we have the king and queen of the prom, the king and queen of 4-H, the Mardis Gras and all sorts of other things. I had no idea what he was king of."

Others, like Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., insisted they were duped and had no idea that the organization holding the reception was connected to Moon. Dayton said he attended because a constituent was being honored. He left before the crowning.

"I never saw Reverend Moon present during the time I was there," he said. "I did not stay for any formal program."

At 84, Moon cuts a curious figure in Washington, where he mingles with the city's power elite by dint of his dual roles as religious leader and media mogul. He owns The Washington Times, which bills itself as a conservative alternative to The Washington Post, as well as United Press International, the wire service. He calls himself "Father" and has drawn notoriety for officiating at mass weddings. As a conservative, he claims close ties to President Bush and the Republican Party.