The Catholic Archdiocese of Military Services accuses Walter Reed National Military Medical Center of denying Catholic servicemen and veterans the right to practice their religion after it canceled a pastoral care contract and issued a “cease” order to a community of Catholics. priests a few days before Holy Week.
The Catholic archdiocese said in a statement that Walter Reed issued the warrant against Holy Name College Friary, a Franciscan community of priests and friars that has served at the center for nearly 20 years.
Instead, it says the contract for Catholic pastoral care was terminated at the end of March, just as Holy Week was about to begin. Walter Reed replaced the contract with a secular defense contractor that the archdiocese says will not be able to provide the necessary care.
THOUSANDS OF Catholics TRAVEL TO NEW MEXICO’S HISTORIC CHURCH
The archdiocese condemned the move as an infringement of the right to worship under the First Amendment and said its requests that the ministry be reinstated by Easter have received no response. Walter Reed did respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The entrance to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC, November 19, 2021. ((Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images))
“It is incomprehensible that essential pastoral care is being deprived of the sick and elderly when it was so readily available,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio said in a statement.
“This is a classic case where the adage ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ applies. I fear that giving a contract to the lowest bidder overlooks the fact that the bidder can’t provide the necessary service,” he said. “I sincerely hope that this contempt for the sick will be immediately remedied and that their First Amendment rights will be respected.”
THE HOLY WEEK LEADS THE FAITHFUL TO EASTER SUNDAY: HERE ARE THE SPECIAL DAYS TAKEN AND WHAT THEY MEAN
While the archdiocese acknowledged that the chaplain’s office said Catholic care is provided during Holy Week, it said that without Catholic priests, military and veterans are denied the right to practice their religion. Certain central Catholic practices – such as the celebration of Mass and Confession – can only be performed by an ordained Catholic priest.
The AMS was founded by Saint Pope John Paul II to provide the services of the Church to veterans and military personnel in the US and abroad. The archdiocese, which has no geographic boundaries, is responsible for caring for 1.8 million Catholics around the world.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Walter Reed was last in the headlines after Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., checked into the center on Feb. 15 for clinical depression. He was released in March and his office said he is now in remission from his treatment.
Adam Shaw is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.
He can be reached at [email protected] or at Twitter.
