Although reversed before taking effect, the Navy’s recent decision to suspend contracts with civilian Catholic priests serving at some California bases is being described by some as part of a larger pattern of increased infringements upon service members’ religious liberty.
“This is just the latest in a string of self-inflicted wounds on behalf of the military, and specifically the Navy, within the past [few] months,” said Mike Berry, a combat veteran and religious-liberty advocate with the Texas-based First Liberty Institute.
Berry refers, in part, to the Navy’s late-June banon sailors attending “indoor religious services” as a COVID-19 preventative measure, while other activities like riding mass transit or participating in public protests were still permitted. That decision was also ultimately reversed.
But the most recent incidents can also be seen as part of what Berry calls “a longer arc,” as religious-liberty advocates have raised concerns about challenges within the military over the past decade.
“It is part of a trend,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and is responsible for the spiritual care of Catholics serving in the U.S. armed forces, told the Register.
California Incident
The decision to discontinue utilizing the services of civilian priests — which would have affected two bases in the San Diego area and one in Monterey in California — was made by regional Navy leadership in late August and was set to go into effect at the end of September.
The measure technically applied to all contracts with off-site religious ministers, but was criticized for putting a unique burden on Catholic servicemen and women and their families. Given the dearth of active-duty Catholic priests in the Chaplains Corps, Catholics — who make up more than one-fifth of the armed services — are dependent on contracted priests to meet their on-base ministry needs.
Archbishop Broglio issued a statement on Sept. 8, criticizing what was originally presented by local Navy leadership as a cost-saving measure.
“It’s…
Read More: Part of ‘Longer Arc’?| National Catholic Register