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Army Silenced Chaplains Last Sunday
National Review Online ^ | 3/3/12 | Kathryn Jean Lopez

Posted on 02/04/2012 7:41:03 PM PST by marshmallow

In Catholic churches across the country, parishioners were read letters from the pulpit this weekend from bishops in their diocese about the mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services giving Catholics a year before they’ll be required to start violating their consciences on insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs. But not in the Army.

A statement released this afternoon — which happens to be the 67th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Dorchester, on which four chaplains lost their lives – from the Archdiocese for Military Services explains:

On Thursday, January 26, Archbishop Broglio emailed a pastoral letter to Catholic military chaplains with instructions that it be read from the pulpit at Sunday Masses the following weekend in all military chapels. The letter calls on Catholics to resist the policy initiative, recently affirmed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, for federally mandated health insurance covering sterilization, abortifacients and contraception, because it represents a violation of the freedom of religion recognized by the U.S. Constitution.

The Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains subsequently sent an email to senior chaplains advising them that the Archbishop’s letter was not coordinated with that office and asked that it not be read from the pulpit. The Chief’s office directed that the letter was to be mentioned in the Mass announcements and distributed in printed form in the back of the chapel.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Moral Issues; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 02/04/2012 7:41:09 PM PST by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

The Church is going to boldly proclaim, “We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law”

Why wont military chaplains refuse this oppression and government meddling?

As the article asks, Catholics.


2 posted on 02/04/2012 7:54:59 PM PST by Former MSM Viewer
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To: marshmallow

The Church is going to boldly proclaim, “We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law”

Why wont military chaplains refuse this oppression and government meddling?

As the article asks, “Didnt we flee across an ocean to escape this type of govt intrusion?” Stand tall, Catholics.


3 posted on 02/04/2012 7:56:45 PM PST by Former MSM Viewer
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To: marshmallow

I very much doubt that they can stop the chaplains from talking quietly with the troops who attend Mass.

And I doubt even more that they can keep this order quiet. Unless I’m very much mistaken, a lot of troops will be offended by this.

Troops have to obey their commanders, or the entire system would break down and people would get killed. But they don’t necessarily have to respect their commanders, and this kind of thing certainly doesn’t help.

Obama & Co. are doing their best to tear the military apart.


4 posted on 02/04/2012 8:01:35 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Former MSM Viewer

Read the piece more carefully. They provided printed copies; they didn’t read it from the pulpit.

Don’t forget: These are military folks. They answer to the CinC....who, sadly, is that usurper/Muslim/foreigner/Socialist Obama.


5 posted on 02/04/2012 8:02:19 PM PST by RightOnline
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To: marshmallow

What other religion would the Army chaplain bureaucracy (a fertile ground for the coming budget cuts, no?) dared censor?


6 posted on 02/04/2012 8:37:08 PM PST by Stingray51
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To: RightOnline

This country is in deep trouble in many ways.

This Muslim is threatening our Freedoms and way of life.


7 posted on 02/04/2012 8:38:04 PM PST by Venturer
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: Cicero

A chaplain is not ye olde soldier and the Army let Nidal Hassan stand in front of soldiers and preach standard Muslim hatred of America. What was done to him? He was promoted to major and sent to Ft. Hood where he could live out his religions of hate.

I hope Catholic chaplains read the letter.


9 posted on 02/04/2012 10:15:19 PM PST by cizinec ("Brother, your best friend ain't your Momma, it's the Field Artillery.")
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To: RightOnline

The libs are so big on ‘Separation of church & State’....

The State cant overrule the Church unless the Church allows it...


10 posted on 02/05/2012 6:43:23 AM PST by Former MSM Viewer
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To: Former MSM Viewer

When Jefferson advanced the term “separation of church and state,” he writing to Baptists and so was agreeing with them about the need to have a wall around the church to protect it from the state. Obama seeks to break down that wall.


11 posted on 02/06/2012 12:05:16 AM PST by RobbyS (Christus rex.)
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