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Ohio Congressman Blasts Army for Denying Catholic Mass In Chapel
By Jim BurnsCNS Senior Staff Writer
October 11, 2000
(CNSNews.com) - An Ohio congressman on Wednesday took to the House floor to attack the US Army for not allowing Roman Catholic GI's to use a base chapel near Brussels, Belgium for a traditional mass.
Representative James Traficant (D-OH) said on the House floor, "If that's not enough to shred the Bible. The Army does allow and permits witchcraft and pagan ceremonies at the base. The (Army) spokesman said and I quote, 'the witchcraft groups pay for their own pagan ministers.'
"Unbelievable", Traficant exclaimed. It's time to call in the dogs, throw the coffee grinds on the fire, the hunting's over. When the US Army allows Satan in one door and will not allow God in the other door, America is so screwed up, we don't know where we're going. An America without God is an America that the founders never planned."
The Washington Times, in its Tuesday editions, quoted an Army spokesman as saying the Army's European command does not want to pay the cost of hiring a Roman Catholic priest when personnel can go off base to churches where Mass is conducted in Latin.
US Army Lieutenant Colonel David Sonnier, according to the paper, requested permission for Mass to be conducted at the US Army base chapel in Brussels.
The paper quoted Sonnier as saying that his request was turned down by Lieutenant General Larry Jordan. Jordan is the Deputy Army European Commander. Sonnier serves in the NATO Support Activity at the US Army base providing logistics and personnel support for the US delegation at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Sonnier contends that the chapel presently hosts two Protestant services weekly. He estimates that about 20 Roman Catholics would like to have their own religious service.
"All we want is the Army to allow us to use the chapel like the wiccans and pagans. This is politically correct to an extreme when pagans and wiccans are allowed into a chapel and traditional Roman Catholics are blocked entry," Sonnier told the Times.
However, the Army contends it's not a question of access, but of cost. The pagan sects, the Army says, supply their own ministers.
"In order to have a Roman Catholic priest say a Latin Mass, the Army would have to contract out to a private priest," according to Colonel Carl Kropf, an Army spokesman in Heidelberg, Germany.
Kropf also said the matter is a "resource issue", but he also said the Army suffers "a tremendous shortage of Roman Catholic chaplains, in particular."
Sonnier also said his research shows that at least 12 military bases worldwide host pagan or Wiccan ceremonies.
Sonnier has written to Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) seeking his help on this issue. Sonnier is a Mississippi native and was nominated to West Point by Lott.
Lott's office had no comment when contacted on Wednesday.
Chad's Note:
This issue seems to be one of lack of military resources -
they either cannot find, or cannot afford a Catholic Priest
to say mass for people who want it. Unfortuately, they have decided
to throw the 'Wiccans and Pagans' into the issue, to show how 'evil'
the system has gotten, and how bad things are for Catholics. Here's
my two cents - Why do they have to PAY a priest?? I don't know a
single Witch or Wiccan who would actually CHARGE to hold
Circle (ie. Say mass). If the Catholics are really worried about
the spirituality of these 20 or 30 men and women, wouldn't a Priest
volunteer for the job?
I think this is a case of someone
looking in the wrong direction for the villians - the Wiccans
aren't the ones keeping these people from religion - it's the
religion itself charging for it's services that's the real problem. Anyway, that's my two cents...
Chad A
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