HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is on the verge of requiring every school, public and private, to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Twenty-eight states already require the pledge to be recited, according to the Education Commission of the States. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a recent court ruling declaring “under God” to be unconstitutional have fueled the recent resurgence.

“After 9/11, we discovered, unfortunately, that many people hate this country,” said Fred Cabell, education department director for the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. The conference supports the legislation, Cabell said, because Catholic schools already say the pledge.

The bill's author, state Rep. Allan Egolf, decided to push the bill after finding out from fellow veterans that local schools didn't routinely require the pledge's recital.

“I checked some local schools and found that was the case,” Egolf said. “I decided to do something about it.”

While the Pennsylvania bill would require all schools to recite the pledge, even private and religious schools, a provision in the bill excludes private schools only on religious objections.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously, without floor debate. The House passed the bill 200-1 and will take up the bill next week. The bills differ slightly and must be worked out before the bill is sent to Gov. Mark Schweiker's desk.

Schweiker said he plans to review the bill but is expected to sign the legislation.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled on June 26 that schools could not force students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance because it contained the words “under God.” After an immediate public outcry and denunciations from national leaders of both political parties, the court suspended its own ruling. But the reaction from the ruling has spurred other states to act.

Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri all enacted laws requiring the pledge since the appellate court ruling. Montana and New Hampshire have also passed similar laws this year.

On Nov. 13, President Bush signed a law reaffirming references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance. The legislation criticized the court for its “erroneous rationale” and “absurd result.”

The Senate passed the bill unanimously. In the House, five Democrats opposed the bill and four Democrats voted “present.”

Despite a nearly unanimous political environment, a requirement to recite the pledge has its strong opponents.

The American Civil Liberties Union opposes all bills to require the pledge precisely because it mentions “under God.”

“You look at all the problems public schools have and all this legislature can accomplish is mandating the Pledge of Allegiance,” said Larry Frankel, legislative director of ACLU of Pennsylvania. “Why are we trying to impose patriotism, rather than voluntarily encouraging it?”

But Cabell said it is important for the people of Pennsylvania to teach their children about the country's important values.

“It's important to impress upon our children how good America is and that we have to be loyal to it,” he said.

The Knights of Columbus also have supported the wording of the current pledge. In fact, it was the Catholic fraternal organization that sponsored the legislative initiative that added “under God” to the oath nearly 50 years ago.

President Dwight Eisenhower supported the Knights's drive, saying inclusion of the words helped keep respect for the state in perspective.

“These words, ‘under God,’ will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble,” Eisenhower wrote to then Supreme Knight Luke Hart after the president signed the legislation.

This year's court action, which affects nine Western states, was brought by an atheist parent who said it was a violation of the Constitution for his daughter to have to listen to her classmates recite the pledge.

An official with the Knights of Columbus said in June fears that the words violate the proscription against government establishment of religion are unfounded.

“In 48 years, there is no evidence of the emergence of a theocracy,” said Paul Devin, executive vice president for legal affairs.

Devin said the organization would support efforts to get the 9th Circuit ruling overturned.

Bishop Donal Wuerl of Pittsburgh also expressed hope a Supreme Court review would overturn the ruling.

“We should not and cannot remove all mention of God from public life, including now the Pledge of Allegiance, simply because a minority have chosen to reinterpret American history and tradition,” Bishop Wuerl said. “It is historical fact that this nation was founded under God and seeks every day to be blessed by God, including in Congress.”

Joshua Mercer writes from Washington, D.C.

(Catholic News Service contributed to this story)