Archbishop Timothy Broglio
– milarch.org
Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services is the spiritual leader of 1.8 million Catholics.
During a July 25 interview with Register senior editor Joan Frawley
Desmond, he discusses emerging challenges to the religious freedom of
Catholics in uniform in the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling
that overturned part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defines
marriage as a union of one man and one woman.
Archbishop Broglio notes that Catholic chaplains may not be able to
hold marriage retreats in the future, and he endorsed Louisiana Rep.
John Fleming’s
amendment that would strengthen conscience protections for military personnel.
Amid a serious shortage of Catholic chaplains — just 250 to serve
Catholics on military bases at home and abroad — he notes that some
evangelical groups are drawing Catholics into their churches.
Are Catholic chaplains and service members facing challenges to the practice of their faith right now?
The challenges are twofold. One is the preservation of their own
freedom of conscience, which is well guaranteed by the First Amendment. I
don’t think any Catholic chaplain will be asked to do anything against
his conscience. But the military has ways to deal with those they want
to reprimand, and that can come through promotions and assignments.
Second, some chaplains charged with the pastoral care of Catholics in
the military are asking, “Are these orders I am asked to fulfill, with
regard to people in same-gendered unions, a responsibility I must meet?”
That is a more difficult question, and we are still wrestling with it
so we can give good guidance.
In late April and early May, several statements were issued by the
Department of Defense and the Air Force on the subject of religious
proselytization, and critics argued that the Pentagon was suppressing
religious speech. But on May 2, DOD issued a clarifying statement,
“Service members can share their faith (evangelize) but must not force
unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith
to one's beliefs (proselytization).” Are you satisfied with that
statement?
Basically, we are dealing with a situation in which publicity was
created in order to call attention to a given organization, which had
requested a meeting at the Pentagon. The clarification is there for
anyone who might be concerned about previous statements.
How is proselytization defined?
You are asking them if they have been saved and inviting them to your
services in a demanding way. Chaplains are officers and exert a certain
influence
What issues could become problematic, now that the Defense of Marriage Act has been overturned?
A Catholic chaplain will certainly not be required to witness any
ceremony contrary to his religious beliefs. Even if he is called to
counsel two people in this situation, he could send them to someone who
might be able to help them. Obviously, that is where we begin to get
into issues where there may be difficulties.
Chaplains hold marriage retreats — “
Strong Bonds” retreats. Probably Catholic priests will not be able to conduct retreats if there are same-gendered unions.
Last week, Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Conference’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, told The Washington Post
,
“I’m worried about the silencing of various voices in order to have a
generic civil religion we can all agree on.” Is that a danger?
That is a danger. We have already seen that happen with various
Protestant groups. If you go to a military base, you don’t see a marquee
on the chapel announcing when the Methodists or Presbyterians are
meeting. You will see “Traditional Protestant” service, “Gospel” service
and, perhaps, “Contemporary Protestant” service. In a certain sense,
the military has already amalgamated groups into something like generic
Protestants.
We wouldn’t want to see that go any farther. Any attempt to melt the
Catholic Church into a generic civil religion would effectively deny the
freedom of conscience the First Amendment guarantees.
This has been tried in the past — if you look at Nazi Germany and some of the conniving attempts of Stalin.
A chaplain is on a base so he can provide for religious education and
formation for his people. If they can’t do that, then we shouldn’t have
chaplains in the military.
What is the role of a military chaplain, and how could that role change in the future?
He has a defined religious role, according to his faith tradition.
He is also a counselor. He is the one person on the base that any
member of the military or a child or spouse can talk to — and he does
not have to report what they talked about. That is confidential and is
well defined in the military.
As a command chaplain, he has the responsibility to advise the
commander about the tenor of morale on the installation. The chaplain
can also go to the commander and present situations and needs. He has
access. As an officer, he has responsibility for keeping himself fit and
participating in the life of the community.
You have endorsed Rep. John Fleming’s amendment to strengthen religious freedom, which
was included in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act.
The Senate Armed Services Committee passed a similar amendment on a bipartisan vote, though President Obama has vowed to veto Fleming’s amendment.
It is certainly needed, because we have to ensure that the rights
guaranteed under the Constitution are reaffirmed and expressed
positively as it applied to the military. The reaction it has provoked
shows that is indeed necessary.
It will reiterate and reinforce the conscience rights of all believers,
especially as there are attempts to cast aspersions on those beliefs by
calling them “hate speech.”
In a certain sense, those who oppose conscience protections are the
same ones who want to define what a religion is and is not, and that is
exactly what the Constitution does not permit.
Recently, some voices in the debate over religious freedom have
argued that the threat to conscience rights comes from aggressive
evangelical groups that have sought to convert Catholic service members.
They have asked the Pentagon to clamp down on such efforts to
proselytize. Has the Archdiocese for the Military Services received such reports, and would you describe it as a serious problem?
It is a problem. We have had evidence. I have heard of people baptized
as Catholics who were then later converted to other Protestant
denominations because of this presence.
I don’t want to color this as a malicious thing. They are much more
numerous than we are. Catholic priests are at a premium in the military.
This is a concern of the archdiocese and one reason why we have tried
to strengthen our catechetical outreach and help Catholics deepen their
understanding and appreciation for the faith.
If there was a clear issue of proselytization, I would bring it to the attention of the chief of chaplains.
