2023’s Easter for Christians at the Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland, also known as Navy Med, a major medical facility of the US military, was spoiled by the cancelation of pastoral care, the Catholic Church revealed.
‘Mystifying’ Case
There has been no explanation for why. Walter Reed seems to have terminated its pastoral care contract with the Catholic Church under “mystifying” circumstances, Red State commented in a report.
The Archdiocese for the US military issued a press release detailing how it received a cease and desist order from the Walter Reed administration.
The order was addressed to Holy Name College, whose Franciscan Catholic priests have been providing pastoral care for the US service personnel and vets at Navy Med for almost two decades.
However, the military medical center’s management informed the Franciscan brothers that their help was no longer required and it ended their contract on March 31, 2023.
General Milley had Walter Reed Military Hospital send a cease and desist order to the Catholic Church providing pastoral care to service members during holy week. A secular defense contractor is being paid to counsel troops instead. https://t.co/vqFXA11ZRH pic.twitter.com/3V17H3BjA8
— @amuse (@amuse) April 8, 2023
Priests and pastors guided our troops through the darkest days of our toughest battles. The Biden Admin chose Easter weekend to kick Catholic priests out of Walter Reed, violating their Fist Amendment right to free exercise of religion.
The House will not allow this to stand. pic.twitter.com/Pdlk6lKS8J
— Rep. Mary Miller (@RepMaryMiller) April 8, 2023
Biden didn’t just kick out the Catholic priests who have been providing religious services at Walter Reed Military Medical Center for 25 years, he picked Holy Week to do it
Today I will be seeking answers on this https://t.co/oYUgzyU1it
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 10, 2023
‘Slap in the Face’
The Archdiocese blasts “the government” – apparently a reference to the far-left administration of President Joe Biden.
Its release makes it clear that the cease and desist order bluntly told the Catholic Church priests to stop any religious services at the Walter Reed Medical Center.
The Catholic Archdiocese for the US Armed Forces wondered who would be tasked with guaranteeing the First Amendment “right to worship” for US service personnel and armed forces.
It emphasized that the Navy Med administration’s move led to the largest medical facility of the US military without “adequate pastoral care.”
The release quotes Timothy Broglio, the Archbishop for the US Military Services, who describes the cancelation of pastoral care by Walter Reed as an “encroachment” on First Amendment rights.
Jeff Clark, a former official at the Trump administration’s Justice Department, commented that the Biden administration’s move at Walter Reed was a display of its “anti-religious bigotry.”
He called the cancelation of pastoral care a “complete slap” against the faith of the Walter Reed patients and religious men.
Clark remarked that while the Biden administration is cracking down on Christians, Sleepy Joe’s veep Kamala Harris supports the far-left radical thugs from Antifa.
This happened under our “Catholic” POTUS, Joe Biden.
Not just another failure, incredibly embarrassing and wrong.
This is another attack on the church, and this time, directed at our military.
Reinstate Catholic Pastoral Care at Walter Reed immediately!…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 10, 2023
This article appeared in The State Today and has been published here with permission.The idea that Walter Reed won't allow Catholic priests to administer last rights to dying veterans is insane. https://t.co/p4FTL65H0d
— Brent Bozell (@BrentBozell) April 10, 2023
