“With the government shutdown, many GS [government services] and contract priests who minister to Catholics on military bases worldwide are not permitted to work – not even to volunteer. During the shutdown, it is illegal for them to minister on base and they risk being arrested if they attempt to do so.”For background, read Christians in President Obama's Military? Don't Ask, Don't Tell and also read Pentagon Gay Agenda: Christians are 'Hate Groups' as well as President Obama's Army Says Christians are Worst Terrorists
-- John Schlageter, general counsel for the Archdiocese for the Military Services
In addition, read Prayer: Government Shutdown Brings D.C. to its Knees
-- From "Shutdown may affect some chapel services" by Karen Jowers, Staff writer, Military Times 10/4/13
Troops and families on some installations may find that there is no Catholic priest to celebrate Mass at their chapel on Sunday, assuming the government shutdown continues.
Whether GS priests or contract priests are working during the shutdown depends on how they are funded, said Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen. If they are funded by taxpayer dollars and are not determined to be exempted from furlough, they are not working.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Priests threatened with arrest if they minister to military during shutdown" by Alex Pappas, Political Reporter, Daily Caller 10/4/13
One Republican lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee told The Daily Caller on Friday that this “crosses a constitutional line.”
“The constitutional rights of those who put their lives on the line for this nation do not end with a government slowdown,” Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo, a graduate of West Point and an Army veteran, said in a Friday statement. ”It is completely irresponsible for the president to turn his back on every American’s First Amendment rights by furloughing military contract clergy.”
Added Pompeo: “The President’s strategy during the slowdown, just as during the sequestration, is to create as much pain as possible. However, this action crosses a constitutional line of obstructing every U.S. service member’s ability to practice his or her religion.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Catholic priests in military face arrest for celebrating Mass" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com 10/4/13
The U.S. military has furloughed as many as 50 Catholic chaplains due to the partial suspension of government services, banning them from celebrating weekend Mass. At least one chaplain was told that if he engaged in any ministry activity, he would be subjected to disciplinary action.
[Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services] said some military bases have forbidden the contract priests from volunteering to celebrate Mass without pay.
A well-placed source told me 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.
The source told me the chaplain was told that if he violated those orders he and his supervisor would be subjected to disciplinary action – with the possibility of being fired.
Bill Donohue, of the Catholic League, told me he’s not surprised by the decision to furlough Catholic priests. . . . “This idea of punishing Catholics in the military - denying them their priests - is consistent with the animus this administration has demonstrated,” he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Priests Risk Arrest for Offering Sacraments to Catholic Troops During Shutdown" by Michael W. Chapman, CNSNews.com 10/4/13
[John Schlageter] explained, for example, if a Catholic family has a baptism scheduled for this weekend on an Air Force base staffed by a GS or contract priest, that baptism “is most likely cancelled.” If you are stationed in Japan or Korea and served by a GS or contract priest, “then you have no choice but to go without Mass this weekend.”
Steve Skojec with CatholicVote.org said, “This is outrageous. It is a violation of the First Amendment. It is a prohibition of the free exercise of religion to order priests under penalty of arrest that they cannot volunteer their time to offer Mass to the faithful on base. This cannot be allowed to stand.”
Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow with The Catholic Association, said in a statement, "The idea that a priest would be arrested for or blocked from celebrating Mass for members of the military is something out of a totalitarian horror show. The government should do everything in its power to make sure that our servicemen and women are not punished with religious liberty violations during the government shutdown. This is yet another example of the Obama administration playing politics with our religious liberty."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Navy-Air Force football game is cleared to be played Saturday" by Don Markus, The Baltimore Sun 10/2/13
“The secretary of defense has authorized the game to move forward with the condition that there will be no [government-] appropriated funding expended,” [Naval Academy athletic director Chet] Gladchuk said.
[For reference, CLICK HERE to read how the Obama administration likewise obfuscates illegal taxpayer funding of abortion for Congress.]
“It's been a lengthy and very intense few days with the exchange of information, but that's what we do for a living,” said Gladchuk, who has been the athletic director at Navy since 2001. “We do everything we possibly can to advance the mission, and this is important to the academy and important to the community and we're just grateful to the leadership to allow us to move forward.”
The decision to play the game, made by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in long-distance consultation with leaders at both of the service acadamies, followed 36 hours of uncertainty.
After assurance from officials at Navy and Air Force that government funds would not be used to hold the game — or in Air Force's case, travel from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Baltimore — Hagel approved the request while on a four-day military tour of South Korea.
Army is scheduled to travel to play Boston College on Saturday.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For further background, read President Obama Redefines 1st Amendment Freedom of Religion and yet President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity, and so Congress Responds to Obama's Military Attack on Christians
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