Nearly 2,000 members of the military-affiliated Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty (CARL) have pledged not to perform same-sex “wedding” ceremonies under any circumstances, despite a recent Pentagon directive that authorizes chaplains to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies, and military chapels to be used for “any private ceremony.”
Retired U. S. Army chaplain, Colonel Ron Crews, executive director of the CARL, said his coalition is joining the Catholic Archdiocese for Military Services to say “no” to the directive.
In an interview with the American Family Association’s propaganda organ, OneNewsNow, Crews said:
“They made a very strong statement saying that no Catholic chaplains serving in the military will participate in any same-sex ceremonies at any chapels. We appreciate that strong stand,” he shares.
“So we just wanted to let the Department of Defense know that it’s not only the Catholic chaplains, but that some 2,000 chaplains who come from evangelical backgrounds are saying our chaplains will not participate in same-sex ceremonies in the military.”
Crews told the AFA tabloid that CARL is asking Congress to enact a right of conscience clause in the revised DOD code “to ensure that no American service members are forced to deny what the Bible says about homosexuality.”
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In a statement, the Catholic Archdiocese for Military Services said:
“No Catholic chaplain is authorized to perform a same-sex wedding under any circumstances,” and pointed out that the Pentagon’s new policy “appears to ignore the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed into law 15 years ago and remains in effect.”
According to the Catholic Archdiocese for Military Services, there are approximately 300 Roman Catholic priests certified for active-duty military service.
Earlier this year, the Obama Administration announced it would no longer defend DOMA in federal court after a federal judge ruled in 2010 that the law was unconstitutional. The Pentagon had announced Sept. 30, that the Chaplain Corps of the Armed Forces are authorized to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies after the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, but were not required to.
