Christian Post:
Franciscan priests and friars are once again ministering to patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center two months after the news of their contract's expiration led to an outcry among Catholic leaders and religious freedom advocates.
In a statement released Tuesday, Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, Timothy Broglio, announced that the U.S. Defense Health Agency awarded a five-year contract to the Franciscans at Holy Name College and Friary in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The priests served as chaplains at the Bethesda, Maryland-based hospital for nearly 20 years before their previous contract expired earlier this year and was awarded to another organization.
He described it as "a source of great joy that the Franciscans have returned to the medical center [to] care for patients and staff there."