That is just absolutley nuts and absurd. i don't 
think anything similar could happen here in 
Europe even though our governments are 
bureaucratic and confused enough in their own right.

i surely am praying for America and the AAmerican 
ppeople. This is making a mockery of the 
constitution and the principles of the founding 
fathers and the reasons the pilgrims left their 
homelands and came to America to practice their faith without interference. it

high time jesus puts an end to this kind of mess. Come, lord Jesus!

prayerfully

Doris in Germany







At 08:25 AM 10/5/2013 -0400, you wrote:
>I know most on this list aren't Catholic.  But, 
>if this administration can do this to us, are 
>you all far behind?  I suggest you do what I am 
>doing, and to not accept anything from this 
>government.  As long as it remains a godless 
>one.  I ask your prayers to God for us, and 
>against this current administration.  For its 
>abuse of us, and its apparent distain for how 
>our military Catholics might be negatively 
>impacted by its capricious decisions.
>
>The U.S. military has furloughed as many as 50 
>Catholic chaplains due to the partial suspension 
>of government services, banning them from 
>celebrating weekend Mass. At least one chaplain 
>was told that if he engaged in any ministry 
>activity, he would be subjected to disciplinary action.
>
>“In very practical terms it means Sunday Mass 
>won’t be offered,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio of 
>the Archdiocese for the Military Services told 
>me. “If someone has a baptism scheduled, it won’t be celebrated.”
>
>The Archdiocese for the Military Services tells 
>me the military installations impacted are 
>served by non-active-duty priests who were hired 
>as government contractors. As a result of a 
>shortage of active duty Catholic chaplains, the 
>government hires contract priests.
>
>
>A well-placed source told me that a furloughed 
>Air Force chaplain was threatened after he offered to forgo pay.
>Broglio said some military bases have forbidden 
>the contract priests from volunteering to celebrate Mass without pay.
>
>“They were told they cannot function because 
>those are contracted services and since there’s 
>no funding they can’t do it – even if they volunteer,” he said.
>
>John Schlageter, general counsel for the 
>archdiocese, said any furloughed priests 
>volunteering their services could face big trouble.
>
>“During the shutdown, it is illegal for them to 
>minister on base and they risk being arrested if 
>they attempt to do so,” he said in a written statement.
>
>A well-placed source told me that a furloughed 
>Air Force chaplain was threatened after he 
>offered to forgo pay. The chaplain was told he 
>could not go on base or enter his chapel 
>offices. He was also barred from engaging in any ministry activity.
>
>The source told me the chaplain was told that if 
>he violated those orders he and his supervisor 
>would be subjected to disciplinary action – with 
>the possibility of being fired.
>
>Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain 
>Alliance for Religious Liberty, called those developments disturbing.
>
>“Catholic military personnel should not have 
>their religious liberties held hostage by this 
>funding crisis,” Crews told me. “I find it 
>alarming that these priests cannot even 
>volunteer to provide services without threat of arrest.”
>
>The archbishop said a priest at Joint Base 
>Langley-Eustis was banned from officiating at 
>the wedding of a couple he’d been counseling.
>
>“The wedding could be on the base, but the 
>priest can’t do the wedding,” Broglio told me.
>
>A priest at the Naval Amphibious Base in Little 
>Creek, Va., was told he could not celebrate Mass 
>on base because of the government shutdown. So 
>he discovered a way to circumvent the ban.
>
>“He’s having Mass in a local park off base,” the archbishop said.
>
>The archbishop said it doesn’t make any sense to 
>forbid priests from voluntarily ministering to the troops.
>
>“Most of us don’t look to see that we’re going 
>to be paid before we do something,” he said. 
>“They are not being allowed to volunteer even to 
>meet the needs of the faithful.”
>
>Bill Donohue, of the Catholic League, told me 
>he’s not surprised by the decision to furlough Catholic priests.
>
>“In American history there has been no 
>administration more anti-Catholic than the Obama 
>administration,” he said. “For them to deny 
>Catholic men and women the opportunity of the 
>sacraments and to deal with their prayerful 
>vocations is really a stunning statement.”
>
>Donohue chalked it up to meanness.
>
>“This idea of punishing Catholics in the 
>military - denying them their priests - is 
>consistent with the animus this administration has demonstrated,” he said.
>
>It’s not exactly clear who is the final arbiter 
>in the furloughs – but I suspect it’s the same 
>folks who kicked school children out of the 
>White House and elderly veterans out of the World War II Memorial.
>
>“It’s difficult to know who exactly is making 
>these decisions,” the archbishop said. “I’m 
>being told it keeps getting kicked up to a higher level.”
>
>I called the Pentagon but no one returned my calls.
>
>I called the Air Force public affairs office and 
>they told me to reach out to the local bases.
>
>Surely there must be some way to compromise, to 
>let Catholics practice their faith.
>
>I find it odd that the military was able to find 
>enough cash to let their football teams play 
>this weekend – but they can’t scrounge up enough 
>cash for weekend church services.
>
>“It’s a sad contrast when we can let a football 
>game go on but we won’t let a priest go on base and celebrate Mass,” he said.
>
>So in President Obama’s world – college football 
>players are essential but Catholic priests are not.
>
>
>Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary 
>heard on hundreds of radio stations and in his 
>weekly podcast. Sign up for his American 
>Dispatch newsletter and be sure to join his Facebook page.
>
>
><http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/10/04/catholic-priests-in-military-face-arrest-for-celebrating-mass/>http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/10/04/catholic-priests-in-military-face-arrest-for-celebrating-mass/
>
>This Godless president has used the Government shut down to slap us
>Catholics in the face once more.  It wasn't 
>enough he is going to force religious 
>institutions to pay for coverage of its 
>employees for artificial contraception, and 
>abortions.  Or will at least make a damn good 
>attempt at it.  But, today, he said Catholic 
>priests along with government paid contracted 
>priests serving the military will not even be 
>allowed by the government to say mass or 
>distribute the holy sacraments.  Military 
>Catholics the world over are told they must 
>cancel their participation in these 
>sacraments.  Or must find a native priest not 
>having to do with the military to give to them 
>the precious body and blood of our Lord while 
>this government shut down exists.
>Hearing this caused me to think of the old 
>fashioned dictatorships of the twentieth 
>century.  Where the practice of our most
>Holy faith was prohibited upon the point of 
>death.  Can you imagine such a thing happening 
>in America?  I never believed I would see such a 
>thing at all.  I will tell you this.  I will 
>never again accept anything from this 
>government, if it allows such a thing to 
>continue.  I might be forced to participate in 
>its atrocities by way of the affordable care 
>program, the paying of taxes, and such.  But, 
>whatever things I am free to not accept I will 
>choose not to accept.  This government as it 
>stands is a travesty of what our founding 
>fathers meant it to be, and is an atrocity.