CHAPLAIN ALLIANCE FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY September 9, 2020 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact CHAPLAIN ENDORSERS at info@chaplainalliance.org or call (571) 293-2427
Chaplain Alliance Commends Navy Decision to Continue to Use Contract Priests
WASHINGTON — Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty commends the decision by the Navy to continue to issue contracts to civilian Priests to serve Navy personnel at installations where there are no Navy Catholic Chaplains.
Last week Navy leadership announced they would discontinue providing contracts for Catholic Priests to provide services at bases where no Navy Catholic Chaplain as assigned. The Navy reversed that decision in an announcement today after several Senators and President Trump make public comments about it.
Retired Navy Chaplain and President of Chaplain Alliance, CAPT Craig Muehler, who also serves as endorser for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, said, “In a time when our Sailors and Marines are facing multiple deployments, when suicides, depression, and marriage issues are high, the Navy needs to maintain every resource that can help. These contract priests have served well and will continue in that tradition.”
Chaplain (COL) Ron Crews, Executive Director of Chaplain Alliance said, “The Navy has made the right decision to provide contract Catholic Priests where they are not able to provide Catholic Chaplains. Our Catholic sailors and Marines should have the ability to live out their faith, while they serve to protect that right for every American.
Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is an organization of chaplain endorsers, the faith groups that provide chaplains for the U.S. military and other agencies needing chaplains. The endorsers in Chaplain Alliance speak for more than 2,600 chaplains serving the Armed Forces.
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