Catholic Nuns as US Military Chaplains?

Dr. Jennifer Bryson, a guest writer at the Washington Post and research professor at the US Army War College, oversteps her expertise in a recent article, saying:

It is time for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA to consider allowing nuns to serve as U.S. military chaplains.

She claims she has heard three main criticisms when she has made this argument in the past:

First I hear, “But women can’t celebrate Mass.” Of course not…Second I hear, “Oh no, all nuns are liberal!”…Third I hear, “No woman would want to serve in the military as a Catholic chaplain.”

Those criticisms are irrelevant.  More to the point is the criticism the Military Archdiocese lacks the authority she demands it assume:  The US military has rules, procedures, and policies regarding who can and cannot be chaplains.  Bryson herself admits nuns couldn’t meet the full requirements of being a military chaplain, so she undermines her own argument.  She also acknowledges an attempted female Imam was similarly declined by the Army — not any Islamic organization that may have submitted her as a chaplain. In other words, Bryson’s issue of chaplains is with the US military, not the Archdiocese.  To the extent the issue actually regards Catholic priests, however — not chaplains — her issue is with the Church.

As an apparent academic in Islam, its unclear what Bryson’s dog is in this fight.

To be fair, there’s reportedly been a shortage of Catholic chaplains in the US military for years.  It does not appear, however, that any Catholic organization or chaplain has called on the Catholic church to accept nuns in the role of priests as a result.  If it did, then it is entirely possible the military would accept the church’s application of its own policies upon its faith leaders, and accept nominees from the Military Archdiocese regardless of gender.

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