The Biden Administration’s “cease and desist” letter to priests caring for Walter Reed patients is the latest and arguably cruelest sign of the Left’s hostility to Christianity to date. Is communion more dangerous than gender affirming care? Apparently that’s the thinking over at the Pentagon these days.
On Friday, Congressman Chris Smith (R, NJ-04) authored a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, demanding a response within two week for the cease and desist letter and “the lack of consideration to servicemembers religious needs and rights of
conscience” which Smith correctly noted was “not a one-time event.”
“On April 4, 2023, a cease-and-desist letter was issued to Holy Name College Friary, a community of Franciscan priests and brothers, who have a strong record of providing pastoral care to military patients and veterans at Walter Reed for nearly two decades, barring them from providing any form of religious services,” wrote Smith. “The Catholic pastoral care contract awarded to the Franciscans of Holy Name College expired on March 31, 2023, and a new contract was awarded to Mack Global LLC, a defense contractor, self-described as ‘your one-stop procurement for janitorial supplies, industrial machinery, aggregates and raw materials.”
“This highlights questionable judgment by officers awarding a Catholic pastoral care contract to a for-profit company best suited to provide industrial services instead of a Catholic religious institution with a strong record of providing pastoral services,” added Smith.
“Disturbingly, the lack of consideration to servicemembers religious needs and rights of conscience is not a one-time event. The large number of denials for religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine and the questionable decision making regarding the provision of pastoral care services, raise serious concerns regarding the Department of Defense’s commitment to respecting the rights of conscience for those who volunteer to serve our nation,” Smith continued. “Coupled with the recent revelation of the FBI targeting Catholics for increased surveillance in Richmond, Virginia, and the failure of DOJ to prosecute repeated anti-Catholic vandalism at churches, this decision raises serious concerns regarding the Executive Branch’s position regarding 1st Amendment protections and invites questions regarding the Federal Government’s respect for, and protection of, the innate religious rights of Catholics in the United States.”
You can read Smith’s letter here.
