Washington D.C., Apr 17, 2023 / 15:55 pm
Lawmakers are demanding answers from the Biden administration after a military hospital ended a contract with the Franciscan friars who have provided Catholic pastoral services there for nearly two decades.
The Holy Name College Friary in Silver Spring, Maryland, received a cease-and-desist order April 4, during Holy Week, that ordered them to halt all services it provides at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Maryland.
Rather than renewing the contract, which expired March 31, the medical center announced it would contract with the secular Mack Global, LLC, instead of with the friars.
The Mack Global website says the company serves the U.S. military, government agencies, and private companies in telework consulting services, administrative and religious staffing, transportation, and roadway services, and professional development and training. Its product supplies portfolio includes janitorial supplies, tactical and training equipment, raw materials, and industrial machinery. It specifically names water-tight doors and gym equipment.