Walter Reed Army Hospital Terminates Catholic Pastoral Care During Holy Week

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is one of the best hospitals in the world. But just prior to Holy Week, the hospital terminated the contract of a group of Franciscan priests and brothers who had provided pastoral care to service members and veterans at the facility for two decades.

“It is incomprehensible that essential pastoral care is taken away from the sick and the aged when it was so readily available,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services said in a statement.

The government’s cease and desist order “directed the Catholic priests to cease any religious services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.” The order was issued just prior to Holy Week, the most sacred time for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

“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,” said Archbishop Broglio. “I earnestly hope that this disdain for the sick will be remedied at once and their First Amendment rights will be respected.”

The Walter Reed statement is about what you’d expect.

Walter Reed said the center is a “welcoming and healing environment that honors and supports a full range of religious, spiritual, and cultural needs.” Except for Catholic priests.

“Tomorrow, Catholic Easter Services will be provided to those who wish to attend. Services will include a celebration of Mass and the administration of Confession by an ordained Catholic Priest,” the statement said. “For many years, a Catholic ordained priest has been on staff at WRNMMC providing religious sacraments to service members, veterans and their loved ones. There has also been a pastoral care contract in place to supplement those services provided.”

“Currently a review of the pastoral care contract is under review to ensure it adequately supports the religious needs of our patients and beneficiaries,” the statement continued. “Although at this time the Franciscan Diocese will not be hosting services on Sunday parishioners of the Diocese while patients at our facilities may still seek their services.”

So a review of the contract is under review and patients can still be ministered to by the Franciscans — all but the celebration of the mass, confession, and sharing the eucharist.

What’s not to like?

The pastoral care contract went to “a secular defense contracting firm that cannot fulfill the statement of work in the contract” according to the Military Archdiocese statement. “There is one Catholic Army chaplain assigned to Walter Reed Medical Center, but he is in the process of separating from the Army.”

Broglio is claiming that Walter Reed is infringing “on the First Amendment guarantee of the Free Exercise of Religion.”

Ms. Elizabeth A. Tomlin, Esq., General Counsel of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), has reached out to the contracting officers at Walter Reed numerous times throughout Holy Week asking for the Franciscans’ Catholic ministry to be reinstated at least through Easter. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has not responded to these requests from the Archdiocese.

While Walter Reed’s chaplain office claims Catholic care is being provided during Holy Week, the AMS maintains that without Catholic priests present at the medical center, service members and veterans are being denied the constitutional right to practice their religion.

Whatever the equivalent of Scrooge is for Easter, Walter Reed is it. There is absolutely no reason for this action. While Walter Reed is a secular hospital, the need for specialized religious pastoral care has been self-evident and was maintained without controversy for 20 years.

That mealy-mouthed statement about the hospital being a “welcoming and healing environment that honors and supports a full range of religious, spiritual, and cultural needs” is a dodge. They’re afraid of being sued by some anti-Catholic bigot, and rather than stand up for the First Amendment, they folded like a cheap suit and took the coward’s way out.

What do you suppose good little leftist Pope Francis will say about this?