As a result of the partial government shutdown, some 50 Catholic military chaplains were placed on furlough and faced possible arrest if they attempted to minister on base, Todd Starnes reported at Fox News Saturday. But the GOP-led House responded with a resolution demanding Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel allow the priests to do their duty without fear of arrest.
On Thursday, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, warned that some bases may not be able to hold Mass.
“If the government shutdown continues through the weekend, there will be no Catholic priest to celebrate Mass this Sunday in the chapels at some U.S. military installations where non-active-duty priests serve as government contractors,” said John Schlageter, General Counsel of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
While Catholics make up 25 percent of the military, he said, Catholics only comprise eight percent of the Chaplain Corps.
“That means approximately 275,000 men and women in uniform, and their families, are served by only 234 active-duty priests,” he explained.
To make up for the shortfall, the government provides GS and contract priests. But these priests are forbidden from working — even on a voluntary basis — during a government shutdown.
“During the shutdown, it is illegal for them to minister on base and they risk being arrested if they attempt to do so,” he said.
Starnes said a “well-placed source” told him that a “furloughed Air Force chaplain was threatened after he offered to forgo pay. The chaplain was told he could not go on base or enter his chapel offices. He was also barred from engaging in any ministry activity.”
“Catholic military personnel should not have their religious liberties held hostage by this funding crisis,” said Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. “I find it alarming that these priests cannot even volunteer to provide services without threat of arrest.”
On Saturday, the GOP-led House stepped up and passed a resolution calling on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to allow the continued performance of religious services on military installations during the government shutdown. The resolution overwhelmingly passed with a bipartisan 400-1 vote. The single “no” vote came from Rep. William Enyart, D-Ill.
“We have a Bill of Rights for a reason —
that no matter the fiscal condition of the federal government, the rights of the people are guaranteed. This is a week that has seen veterans denied their right to assemble at our national monuments, travelers denied access to roads their hard-earned dollars have paid for, and now chaplains ordered to stop providing religious services to those who are selflessly willing to lay down their lives for ours… Congress is duty bound to act as quickly as possible to protect the rights of the American people, and I am proud that we did so today,” said Rep. Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican who is also an Air Force Chaplain.CNN reported that shortly after Saturday’s vote, Hagel said that most Department of Defense civilian employees “placed on emergency furlough during the government shutdown will be asked to return to work beginning next week.”
“Hagel said his department, along with the Justice Department, concluded that the law does allow the Department of Defense to eliminate furloughs for employees whose responsibilities contribute to the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members,” CNN’s Dan Merica said.
The partial government shutdown began at midnight on Monday after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., refused to consider a single GOP proposal to fund the government while either defunding or delaying Obamacare.
Since then, both Reid and President Obama have adopted a “my way or the highway” stance on Obamacare funding, all the while accusing Republicans of being stubborn, hard-nosed “extortionists” attempting to destroy the country.
For some, the threat to arrest military chaplains is part of the administration’s effort to score political points by punishing average Americans.
A federal Park Service Ranger, for example, admitted being ordered to make life as difficult as possible in order to make Americans feel the most pain as a result of the partial shutdown.
“We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can,” an angry Park Ranger told the Washington Times. “It’s disgusting.”
Why is this being reported as news? An article that is newsworthy should require a better cite than Faux news, which tells lies virtually every day they are allowed on our public airwaves. If this man can actually prove a priest was threatened with arrest, that would be newsworthy, following Faux is an embarrassment, not actual reporting of anything real..
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, AMS relayed this information. If it is bs, as you say, why did the House resolution pass 400: 1? Why did they need a resolution at all?
Listening exclusively to the propaganda of MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC is a poor way to form opinions. Do you ever ask any questions? Or do you just accept everything you are told as fact. Continually slandering the only opposing viewpoint is childish and narrow minded.
How much are you being paid to troll?
Lol.
I’m all for this type of stuff, let the part of gov that operates this way show it’s true colors. It’s going to take some of this type of fascist actions to wake this country up. Light and dark, black and white, let it come. Enough chameleon politics, let’s define who wants what and come clean and then let the American people decide who they really want as leaders. I hope some states truly embolden themselves along freedom and economic lines and then give Americans an open invitation to come and live where the Constituion, freedom and traditional American values and faith are rights that won’t be infringed upon.