The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) is reporting that Father Ray Leonard was barred from saying Mass at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia. The day after he sued the government for this infringement, he was given permission to resume his duties, but the story doesn't end there. The government is now retaliating against Fr. Leonard by revoking his contract and demanding that he sign a new one that is full of "onerous new terms" if he wishes to get paid.
As a result, the TMLC has filed an amendment to Fr. Leonard's original complaint to prevent further retaliation.
Ironically, Father Leonard had just returned to America after spending ten years in China ministering to impoverished Tibetans when the ban was put in place.
As Father Leonard stated in an affidavit;
“In China, I was disallowed from performing public religious services due to the lack of religious freedom in China. I never imagined that when I returned home to the United States, that I would be forbidden from practicing my religious beliefs as I am called to do, and would be forbidden from helping and serving my faith community.”
But this is precisely what happened on October 4, 2013, when Father Leonard was ordered to stop performing all of his duties as the Base’s Catholic Chaplain, even on a voluntary basis and told he could be arrested if he violated that order.
He was locked out of his on-base office and chapel which denied him access to the Holy Eucharist. Daily and weekend Masses, confession, marriage preparation classes and baptisms had to be cancelled as well.
As TMLC points out, the services of other Christian denominations at the base were allowed to continue throughout the shutdown. Only Catholics were left without services.
A day after Father Leonard filed a complaint, government officials called the TMLC to say that the ban was lifted and the priest could continue his work; however, just a week later, the government advised him that his contract would no longer be considered "valid".
"The government presented Father Leonard with a new employment contract containing five additional pages of far more onerous terms than his original contract," TMLC reports.
Sadly, Father Leonard has been performing his duties as a military chaplain under the original contract even though the government refused to pay him for his work in November and December.
"After repeatedly denying Father Leonard’s payment, the Navy finally approved an invoice for payment at the end of December," TMLC reports.
“The Petition Clause of the First Amendment protects individuals who challenge the unconstitutional actions of the government from retaliation," says Erin Mersino, TMLC counsel for Father Leonard.
"The Archdiocese for the Military Services confirmed that no other military chaplain contracts were under review or subjected to the same scrutiny as Father Leonard’s. Thus, due to the timing of the Navy’s actions and the information gleaned from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, all signs point to Father Leonard being singled out and subjected to unlawful retaliation for bringing the government’s practices to light.”
Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, says that although Father Leonard is currently being paid, "based on the government’s pattern of inconsistent conduct, there is no guarantee that the Government will not again claim the contract is invalid and refuse payment. Our Amended Complaint is necessary to seek the Court’s protection from further government retaliation.”
The Department of Justice has requested an additional sixty (60) days to respond to the amended complaint, and the Court ordered their response by March 3, 2014.
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