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Conflict between Pentagon and Catholic military chaplains brews over ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
DailyCaller.com ^ | 06/07/2010 | Updated: 5:04 PM 04/26/2011 | Paul Conner

Posted on 10/03/2011 10:52:57 PM PDT by Salvation

By Paul Conner - The Daily Caller
Bio | Archive | Email Paul Conner
(From left) Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. military, Pope Benedict XVI, and then-President George W. Bush during the Popes 2008 visit to the United States.

The archbishop for the U.S. military spoke out for the first time against the effort to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” setting up a possible conflict between Pentagon brass and the 285 Roman Catholic priests who serve on active-duty  in the military.

“Those with a homosexual orientation can expect respect and treatment worthy of their human dignity,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Catholic overseer for military chaplains, in a statement released late last week. “However, unions between individuals of the same gender resembling marriage will not be accepted or blessed by Catholic chaplains.”

Broglio was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI two and a half years ago, though it is unclear if the archbishop speaks for the Vatican, which has so far been mum on the issue.

Catholic priests serve an estimated 1.5 million Catholic men and women in the U.S. military, according to the Archdiocese website.

The statement follows an April 28 letter from 41 retired Army, Air Force and Navy chaplains to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying that repealing the rule would present chaplains with “a profoundly difficult moral choice”–whether to obey God or men.

“Sacrificing the moral beliefs of individuals or their living conditions to respond to merely political considerations is neither just nor prudent especially for the armed forces at a time of war,” Broglio said. “Catholics believe that nothing will be done if there is a careful and prudent evaluation of the effects of a change.”

An evaluation by the Pentagon is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 1, but by then, Congress may have already passed legislation to repeal the Clinton-era rule that allows gays to serve in the military only if they do not reveal their sexual orientation.

The provision is steadily making its way through Congress on the coattails of a $760 billion defense spending bill, and it has strong supporters in Gates, Obama and Adm. Mike Mullen, Joint Chiefs chairman.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to repeal the policy on March 27. So did the House of Representatives 234-194. If the bill passes the Senate, the Pentagon would still need to wait until the Dec. 1 study is delivered to remove the ban.

The chiefs of the Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps all oppose repeal.

“A number of chaplains and commanding officers have expressed concerns about the effects of a change,” Broglio wrote. “There is a request for guidance.”

Guidance from the Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear: “Homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law,” and “under no circumstance can they be approved.”

So what happens when a gay man or woman serving his or her country seeks guidance from a priest? Does the priest withhold a blessing? Would the priest have freedom to espouse the Catholic teaching that homosexuality is “objectively disordered?”

“No restrictions or limitations on the teaching of Catholic morality can be accepted,” said Broglio. “First Amendment rights regarding the free exercise of religion must be respected.”

But Broglio made it clear that compassion would be a top priority as chaplains walk a razor’s edge.

“Catholic chaplains must show compassion for persons with a homosexual orientation but can never condone — even silently — homosexual behavior,” Broglio said. “A change might have a negative effect on the role of the chaplain not only in the pulpit, but also in the classroom, in the barracks, and in the office.”



TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; deathofthemilitary; homonaziagenda; homonazism; homopsychoagenda; homosexualagenda; homotyranny; military; rcc; religiousfreedom; religiouspersecution; romancatholic; romancatholicism
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Paul Conner is an online editor with the Daily Caller. He was a contributing writer for four years with the Greenville News covering high school sports in Upstate South Carolina before interning with TheDC last spring and summer. A Palmetto State native, he covered South Carolina politics during the 2010 midterm elections for TheDC and is a recent graduate of North Greenville University (S.C.) with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

1 posted on 10/03/2011 10:53:01 PM PDT by Salvation
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To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; marshmallow; ...

Catholic chaplains have served the spiritual needs of the men and women in uniform since 1917.

Catholic Ping

Actually this weekend, I heard that military chaplains began serving the troops in 1775.


2 posted on 10/03/2011 10:56:09 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

This issue was addressed by the Catholic Chaplains at the Serra Club Conference that I attended this weekend.

I heard the Archbishop speak and got to talk with him privately too.

He IS a memember of the USCCB, poor guy!


3 posted on 10/03/2011 10:57:13 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

Chaplains in the Military

Serving Catholics in the Military, on Land, in the Air, and at Sea

Imagine your job is to provide spiritual and emotional support and guidance to a parish of thousands of mostly young men and women. Imagine most of the people in your parish move away every three years and that new people move in. Imagine that you too, must move and start learning the ropes of a new place, and that you are the only priest in the area.

That constant change is part of the every day life and work of Catholic chaplains in the military. Unlike a priest in a civilian parish, chaplains in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard must work with a constantly changing group of people. It is a personal ministry of presence, caring for the needs of Catholic military personnel and their families.

A Parish that Stretches Across the World

The work of chaplains is not confined to the chapel. They go wherever their people are—in a tent in the desert, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in the barracks on base, on a fire-fighting line, in the VA hospital, in the halls of the Pentagon.

Because military service requires extraordinary sacrifices of those who serve and their families, chaplains strive to make themselves available and present, day or night, to offer guidance, education, and direction on Church doctrine or simply to listen. Through their words and actions, they provide a place where those in the military can take comfort in and draw strength from the sacraments and reflect on the responsibilities and challenges they have taken on to protect their fellow Americans.

A Flexible, Creative Ministry

The 1.5 million Catholics served by chaplains are a diverse group: 5th generation soldiers, new citizens, young people from cities and farms, veterans, people in positions of command, young mothers and fathers. Chaplains often speak about the exciting, creative nature of their ministry. They seek ways to reach out and connect with the different people they serve on a personal level, an opportunity they note is hard to come by in a civilian parish.

The days are long. It can be lonely. Yet if you talk to most any of the priest-chaplains in the military, they will tell you they would not trade this ministry for any other. The rewards are great. The support of people in the military is there. They are open to spiritual growth and willing to work hard for it. As the people in our military do the difficult work of protecting our freedom, Catholic chaplains walk beside them, providing the spiritual and emotional strength they need.


4 posted on 10/03/2011 10:59:20 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: xzins

**repealing the rule would present chaplains with “a profoundly difficult moral choice”–whether to obey God or men.**

BTTT!


5 posted on 10/03/2011 11:01:14 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

**“Catholic chaplains must show compassion for persons with a homosexual orientation but can never condone — even silently — homosexual behavior,” Broglio said. “A change might have a negative effect on the role of the chaplain not only in the pulpit, but also in the classroom, in the barracks, and in the office.”**

The role of the Catholic and REAL Christian chaplains must be so difficult these days.


6 posted on 10/03/2011 11:02:55 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Have there been any updates on this issue since it was originally reported in June?


7 posted on 10/04/2011 12:24:57 AM PDT by texanred
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To: Salvation
So what happens when a gay man or woman serving his or her country seeks guidance from a priest? Does the priest withhold a blessing? Would the priest have freedom to espouse the Catholic teaching that homosexuality is “objectively disordered?”

I know the answer to this one and I am not even Catholic.

Seeking guidance or asking for a blessing is not and has never been an issue. If requested, the Catholic Chaplain is obviously going to do whatever he can to provide guidance to the gay service member, including prayer and blessings (as appropriate).

However, what he is not going to do is violate the beliefs he has sworn to protect and uphold by delivering sacraments to those who are not qualified to receive them.

8 posted on 10/04/2011 12:42:23 AM PDT by Ronin (If we were serious about using the death penalty as a deterrent, we would bring back public hangings)
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To: Salvation

One has to ask this question:

Is this an unintended consequence of having a Black Theology President or is it an actual attack on Catholicism.

We know that Obama is an anti-Semite, he hates Jews, is he also anti-Catholic, or is he as I suspect a Muslim.

Is he also bi-sexual in his personal preferences and is that the reason he has pushed the Homosexual Agenda.

There are many questions, but I believe the outcome is that Priests and Preachers and Rabbi’s of Faith who refuse to marry same sex perverts will eventually be banned from the military.

Many men will go off to battle without the brave Chaplains to administer the “last Rites” or Communion on the Battlefield

This will add to the reasons why many men will refuse to serve their Country and their God for the United States.

Unintended Consequences or part of the Devil’s plan to deny eligion in our country brought on by an anti-Christ .


9 posted on 10/04/2011 3:31:15 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: Salvation
“Catholic chaplains must show compassion for persons with a homosexual orientation but can never condone — even silently — homosexual behavior,” Broglio said.


10 posted on 10/04/2011 4:16:18 AM PDT by Condor51 (Yo Hoffa, so you want to 'take out conservatives'. Well okay Jr - I'm your Huckleberry)
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To: theKid51

PING


11 posted on 10/04/2011 4:17:33 AM PDT by bmwcyle (Obama is a Communist, a Muslim, and an illegal alien)
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To: Venturer

>>Many men will go off to battle without the brave Chaplains to administer the “last Rites” or Communion on the Battlefield<<

Maybe you have never heard of the lavender mafia. How many of us have parishes with openly gay EMHCs or music directors?
Seriously, there are enough priests that are liberal enough to “overlook” sexual preference.

Pitifully.

All they are doing is supporting the libs.


12 posted on 10/04/2011 4:52:30 AM PDT by netmilsmom (Happiness is a choice)
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To: texanred
According to the Archbishop and the other Catholic chaplains at my conference, the Catholic Church is still standing firm and will not perform the same-sex marriages.
13 posted on 10/04/2011 6:15:38 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Ronin

BTTT for your great answer!


14 posted on 10/04/2011 6:17:00 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: netmilsmom

I respect any who is caught in the web of homosexual deceit. I tell them up front I agree 100% with what is written from Genesis to the Revelation of Jesus Christ. And find it as True today as when first written by men inspired by God. I tell them as well that I also agree with what Gen.Colin Powell wrote of “sexual Orientation” in the early part of the decade of the 1990’s it is perhaps one of the most profound of human behavioral characteristics. For what he wrote in Crisis also remains true. I cannot claim I respect those of the homosexual sexual orientation and not tell the the Truth written in Scripture. I cannot respect someone at danger of being consumed in the fire to come unless I do all in my power in Christ to see they know there is an escape. Unless they repent of their ways they will die in their sins.


15 posted on 10/04/2011 6:17:41 AM PDT by StonyBurk (ring)
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To: Venturer

**Is this an unintended consequence of having a Black Theology President or is it an actual attack on Catholicism.**

Or both at the same time.


16 posted on 10/04/2011 6:19:12 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

According to sodomites and their Sodomite-in-Chief, “gay” is now the new black, equivalent in every way to race, and therefore, any disparaging word against homosexuality will be construed as tantamount to KKK-racism against blacks. How long does anyone think a chaplain is going to last in that environment?


17 posted on 10/04/2011 6:33:40 AM PDT by fwdude ("When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve ...")
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To: netmilsmom
Maybe you have never heard of the lavender mafia. How many of us have parishes with openly gay EMHCs or music directors?

I thank God constantly that our pastor was the only one who could be bothered to return my phone calls when I started inquiring in 2004... I've been to some of these parishes and they're utterly miserable.

18 posted on 10/04/2011 6:39:10 AM PDT by djrakowski
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To: fwdude
According to sodomites and their Sodomite-in-Chief, “gay” is now the new black

Right... because, as everyone knows, a behavioral choice (homosex) is exactly the same as an inherent characteristic (race/ethnicity).

19 posted on 10/04/2011 6:43:01 AM PDT by djrakowski
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To: djrakowski

I’m just postulating on the “reasoning” that will be used to persecute unwilling chaplains. And it WILL happen.


20 posted on 10/04/2011 6:44:39 AM PDT by fwdude ("When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve ...")
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