Several Republican members of the U.S. House have sent a letter to the Pentagon seeking answers to a decision of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) not to renew a contract with a group of Catholic priests and brothers to provide pastoral care at the medical facility, and also protesting WRNMMC notifying the priests of the decision in a “cease and desist” letter sent just prior to the start of Holy Week.
Walter Reed replaced the Holy Name College Friary, located in Silver Spring, Md. with Mack Global, LLC, of Mechanicsville, Virginia; a private contractor that provides government agencies with, as listed on its website, “telework consulting services, administrative and religious staffing, transportation and roadway services, professional development and training.”
Holy Name College Friary, a Franciscan order community, has delivered pastoral support at WRNMMC for 20 years.
“We have made promises to our service members and veterans that if they take care of us, we will take care of them. This extends to not just providing quality healthcare at our nation’s military medical facilities, but by also providing the ability to freely practice their religion to those under the care at these facilities,” the legislators wrote in the letter that was addressed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “The DoD’s actions to deny Catholic Pastoral Care from service members and veterans at Walter Reed goes against the morals, way of life, and rights that make up the fabric of our great nation.”
Signatories of the letter are Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Brobert, Debbie Lesko, Michael Cloud, Eli Crane, Jim Banks, Andrew Clyde, Mary E. Miller, Alex Mooney, Tom Tiffany, Byron Donalds, Paul Gosar, Scott Perry, Andy Biggs, Warren Davidson, Ralph Norman, Matt Rosendale, Keith Self, Bob Good, Andrew Clyde, Brian Babin, Ben Cline, Josh Brecheen, Diana Harshbarger, and Andy Harris.
As Walter Reed spokesperson Rick McNamara explained the cease and desist letter, which was dated April 4, was sent to Holy Name Friary because the group continued to work at the hospital after March 31 when its contract had expired.
Catholic Archbishop Denounces Pentagon Decision
Catholic hierarchy and organizations across the country have been voicing disapproval with the decision and its timing,Archdiocese For The Military Services, USA, issued a statement on April 7 in response to the Pentagon decision, calling it a violation of the free exercise of religion clause in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
“It is incomprehensible that essential pastoral care is taken away from the sick and the aged when it was so readily available,” said Rev. Timothy Broglio, Archbishop for Military Services, USA. “This is a classic case where the adage ‘if it is not broken, do not fix it’ applies. I fear that giving a contract to the lowest bidder overlooked the fact that the bidder cannot provide the necessary service. I earnestly hope that this disdain for the sick will be remedied at once and their First Amendment rights will be respected.”
Walter Reed Responds
Walter Reed released a statement on April 11 addressing the issue.“Currently, three additional Catholic priests in the region are available to provide services to our Catholic beneficiaries,” read the statement. “WRNMMC also has access to Red Cross Volunteers and Active-Duty Chaplains Assistants. With the assigned staff, and regional support, WRNMMC has sufficient resources to provide for the religious needs of our Catholic beneficiaries.
“At this time, the pastoral care contract is under review to ensure it adequately supports the religious needs of our patients and beneficiaries.”
