Hmm, in doing some reading on Military.com it appears the problem is a lack of Catholic Priests joining the Chaplain corps. Reportedly other faiths have enough people to fill the demand within the Chaplain Corps that there isn't a shortage.
The Navy was having to contract out, a more costly measure apparently, to obtain Catholic Priests for services within the military. Supposed budget constraints led them to cancelling the contract.
While it is bad optics for the Navy, it does raise the question of why doesn't the Catholic Church send more priests to join the Chaplain Corps? The article claims that there is a shortage of priests in general for the Catholic Church. The problem seems to start there.
Hmm, in doing some reading on Military.com it appears the problem is a lack of Catholic Priests joining the Chaplain corps. Reportedly other faiths have enough people to fill the demand within the Chaplain Corps that there isn't a shortage.
The Navy was having to contract out, a more costly measure apparently, to obtain Catholic Priests for services within the military. Supposed budget constraints led them to cancelling the contract.
While it is bad optics for the Navy, it does raise the question of why doesn't the Catholic Church send more priests to join the Chaplain Corps? The article claims that there is a shortage of priests in general for the Catholic Church. The problem seems to start there.