Walter Reed reviewing disputed Catholic chaplaincy contract, medical middle says

Officials on the Defense Health Agency could also be searching for a approach out of a Catholic chaplaincy companies contract for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that has drawn hearth from eleven Congressional Republicans.

Just earlier than Catholics noticed the Holy Week worship interval between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, DHA despatched a “cease and desist” letter to the Holy Name College Friary in Silver Spring, ejecting the friars after a 20-year relationship.

The chaplaincy companies contract was awarded to Mack Global LLC, a personal contractor that critics charged couldn’t present Catholic chaplaincy companies as a result of clergymen should work for a bishop and never a personal firm.

Late Tuesday, Walter Reed officers stated in a press release the brand new contract “is under review to ensure it adequately supports the religious needs of our patients and beneficiaries.”

Rick McNamara, public affairs officer at Walter Reed, advised The Washington Times through phone that if Mack Global can’t fulfill the contract’s phrases, it might return to the Defense Health Agency’s contracting workplace both to be rebid or awarded to the second-place finalist.

Mr. McNamara stated he didn’t know who that runner-up bidder was.

The March 31 breakup with the Franciscans alarmed Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, and 10 of his Senate and House colleagues, who signed a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. They alleged gender transition surgical procedure for minors was a higher precedence for DHA than was offering Roman Catholic servicemembers pastoral care at Walter Reed.

Mr. Rubio’s letter additionally was signed by Republican Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran of Kansas, and James Lankford of Oklahoma. Also signing the letter had been Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn of Colorado; Michael Waltz, Cory Mills, and Carlos Gimenez of Florida; Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin; Jim Banks of Indiana; and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa.

“DHA doctors are advocating for minors to receive experimental gender transition procedures, but no one seems to be advocating for the right of our service members and veterans to receive the most important sacraments during this most sacred time of year,” the letter says.

The Congressional demand letter stated, “actions to deny Catholic Pastoral Care from service members and veterans at Walter Reed goes against the morals, way of life, and rights that make up the fabric of our great nation.”

According to the letter, quoting a press release from the Catholic Church’s Archdiocese for the Military Services, the only real Catholic priest on energetic obligation at Walter Reed is inadequate to supply the pastoral care required by sufferers on the medical middle.

The new contract “was awarded to a for-profit secular defense contracting firm that … has no way of providing Catholic priests” to the power.

Contacted by a reporter on Monday, Robin Mack, Mack Global’s CEO, stated, “we’re still in the process of getting all that worked out” when requested how they’ll provide Catholic clergymen for the power.

The Rubio-led letter asks Mr. Austin to element the “factors” that led to the choice to drop the Franciscans from the contract “after two decades of providing consistent pastoral care.”

The lawmakers additionally need to know the “considerations” the division gave in awarding the contract to a secular agency “given that this entity cannot provide Catholic pastoral care,” and whether or not clergymen celebrated the varied Holy Week observances at Walter Reed.

They additionally need to know what number of Catholic clergymen are “currently available” on the facility, and “how much longer the current active duty priest” will probably be there, in addition to particulars of the pastoral care supplied throughout Holy Week.

A spokesperson for Mr. Austin stated through e mail that solutions could be supplied to Mr. Rubio and the opposite signers of the letter and never the media.

According to Catholic instructing, many of the sacraments, together with Communion and Confession, can solely be carried out by a validly ordained priest.

In its Tuesday night assertion on the matter, the medical middle insisted it “is a welcoming and healing environment that honors and supports a full range of religious, spiritual and cultural needs.”

The middle stated it may well present Catholic non secular companies with no contract, and “can leverage Catholic Priests assigned to other Defense [Department] organizations within the region.”

They stated three further clergymen within the space “are available to provide services” to Catholics at Walter Reed.

The facility has 244 inpatient beds and dealt with 7,400 affected person admissions in 2022, Mr. McNamara stated. There are additionally 7,100 employees at Walter Reed each for its hospital and the quite a few clinics on the facility, all of whom also can entry chaplaincy companies if desired.

The Holy Name Friars stated the abrupt termination of their relationship with DHA was “certainly disappointing … after building trust and so many wonderful relationships and friendships,” however they “respect the process” of awarding contracts.

“It has been an incredible privilege – and, really, a very powerful ministerial experience – for the Franciscan Friars to be invited into the lives of these true American heroes who have sacrificed so much for our country,” they stated.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who leads the U.S. Military Services archdiocese, was much less conciliatory in a press release launched final weekend.