SCHUMER SHUTDOWN SALE: 74% Off VIP Memberships!
The Dems' Are Working Hard to Get This Schumer Shutdown Point Across. It's...
This CNN Commentator Knows What's Coming to Dems After the Schumer Shutdown Ends
AG Bondi to Appeal the Perversion of Justice in the Sentencing of Justice...
Kash Patel Dog Walks MSNBC for Fake News About James Comey Indictment
Scott Wiener: Accusations of Fascism Will Continue Until Conservatives Bend the Knee to...
Colorado Authorities Reopen Investigation Into Death of Hunter S. Thompson
Maxwell House Coffee’s Temporary Rebrand Is Something Else
Hope Amid Chaos in Nigeria
Nation Stunned After Child's Killer Freed
WATCH: Michigan Law Enforcement Eradicates Church Attacker
Maryland Accountant Sentenced to 3 Years for $24M COVID Relief Fraud
Over 90,000 Investors Scammed in $200M Bitcoin Fraud
Gunfire Erupts in Broadview: Armed Woman Targets DHS Agents
No Workouts, Just Payouts: Fitness Company Was a PPP Front
OPINION

Priests face arrest for celebrating Mass in defiance of shutdown

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

World War II Veterans denied access to their memorial is appalling. But, Catholic priests denied the opportunity to celebrate Mass, even as volunteers, leaves me speechless. Read below from the general counsel of the Archdiocese for Military Services as he explains priests that defy the governments orders may even face arrest.

Advertisement

"If the government shutdown continues through the weekend, there will be no Catholic priest to celebrate Mass this Sunday in the chapels at some U.S. military installations where non-active-duty priests serve as government contractors."

"Military personnel enjoy, like all Americans, the First Amendment guarantee of the 'Free Exercise' of their particular religious faith. But because military personnel are considered a 'captive audience,' the laws of our country require the government to provide access to that faith. This is why we have military chaplaincy. This all becomes very clear when on thinks of a military family stationed in Bahrain or Japan. They cannot walk down the street to the local synagogue, church, mosque, etc."

"There is a chronic shortage of active duty Catholic chaplains. While roughly 25% of the military is Catholic, Catholic priests make up only about 8% of the chaplain corps. That means approximately 275,000 men and women in uniform, and their families, are served by only 234 active-duty priests. The temporary solution to this shortage is to provide GS and contract priests. These men are employed by the government to ensure that a priest is available when an active duty Catholic Chaplain is not present. With the government shutdown, GS 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." Read more here.

Advertisement

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement