The head of U.S. Catholic bishops has written to Catholic soldiers expressing concern over the U.S. Army’s decision to cancel all religious support contracts for army chapels.
In a pastoral letter addressed to members of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio said the change has already left chapel offices “dark” and music “absent during Mass.”
He wrote: “These changes were not due to the government shutdown, but rather, due to a memorandum issued in March of this year by U.S. Army Installation Management Command which directed the cancellation of all chapel contracts for Coordinators of Religious Education (CRE), Catholic Pastoral Life Coordinators (CPLC), and musician contracts, across the U.S. Army.”
The archbishop thanked those who have served Catholic communities through these contracts, saying: “Week after week, you prepared lessons for the faithful of this Archdiocese, arrived at the chapel early, and offered your knowledge, charisms, and creativity to help others encounter Jesus Christ, His Church, and His sacraments.”
Archbishop Broglio also expressed “deep lament that the army’s actions have proven so injurious to the practice of the Catholic faith on Army installations.”
Addressing the challenges faced by Catholic chaplains, he wrote: “Catholic priests who serve as U.S. Army chaplains offer spiritual and pastoral care to soldiers of any, or even no faith. At the same time, they also serve, within their Catholic faith, six times the number of soldiers served by Protestant chaplains.”
He continued: “In canceling these contracts, the Army overburdens Catholic chaplains, harms chapel communities, and impedes the constitutional guarantee of the free exercise of religion, especially for Catholics.”
The archbishop added that he would “pursue all legal options to address this grave misstep.”
Concluding his letter, he encouraged Catholics in the military to continue their service and faith formation: “Because of this reality, I implore the faithful of this Archdiocese to continue to worship at military chapels and offer your gifts and talents for the building up of the Church, especially in sacramental preparation and religious education.”
