The Good Catholic Joe Biden and his team sent his Federal Government out to attack Catholics. The unelected Biden bureaucrats ordered an Oklahoma Catholic hospital to blow out a sanctuary candle. If they don’t, they must stop serving the elderly, disabled, and low-income patients. Joe Biden has gone to war with Catholics. As usual, he is going about the devil’s business.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has taken the case on behalf of the Catholics.
Becket attorney Lori Windham writes the following:
Saint Francis Health System runs the premiere hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it cares for nearly 400,000 patients each year and employs more than 11,000 Oklahomans.
Its mission, to extend the presence and healing ministry of Christ, is shown through its top-notch care to its patients.
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THE DANGEROUS CANDLE
Since …1960, Saint Francis has maintained hospital chapels, which also house a sanctuary candle with a living flame. The living flame is an indispensable sign of the living presence of Jesus.
The flame is far from medical equipment and shielded by glass holders and a brass top. It has never caused a problem, the fire marshal has never complained, and the feds were fine with it until last month.
But now the government thinks the religious symbol is too great a threat to hospital safety and is telling Saint Francis to snuff out the flame.
If they don’t, HHS will revoke Saint Francis’s approval to care for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP patients—endangering critical healthcare access for thousands in OK.
After repeatedly being denied a waiver (4x!), Saint Francis partnered with Becket and Yetter Coleman LLP, explaining how its actions violate the Constitution.
The government is burdening the hospital’s religious duty to maintain a flame in its chapels AND belief that the candle represents the eternal presence of Jesus.
The government’s demand is absurd and unlawful—it is targeting Saint Francis’ religious worship without any good reason. The government has a simple choice: stop this attack on Saint Francis’ faith or expect a legal firestorm.
They want to blow out more than the candle. It’s the presence of Jesus Christ they are after. The Good Catholic wants to shut down Catholic hospitals.
#BREAKING: The federal government told an Oklahoma Catholic hospital to either blow out a sanctuary candle or stop serving elderly, disabled, and low-income patients. @BECKETlaw sent a letter to @HHSGov and @CMSGov, reminding them of Saint Francis’ right to religious freedom.… pic.twitter.com/nfNf4UJyUx
— LoriWindham (@LoriWindham1) May 3, 2023
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