"Not content to harass just Catholic nuns , the successor administration to the Obama White House has taken up harassing Catholic hospitals.
"In April, Saint Francis Hospital South, which is one of five hospitals in the Saint Francis Health System network in eastern Oklahoma, received an ultimatum from the Biden administration: Extinguish your chapel’s sanctuary lamp, or we will strip you of your ability to accept Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
For context, a sanctuary lamp is a “wax candle, generally in a red glass container, kept burning day and night wherever the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in Catholic churches or chapels,” according to the Modern Catholic Dictionary. “It is an emblem of Christ's abiding love and a reminder to the faithful to respond with loving adoration in return.”
Saint Francis eventually enlisted the aid of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, whose attorneys argued the ultimatum violated the hospital’s First Amendment freedoms. (Full disclosure: Becket is one of several charitable organizations this author has supported over the years. Becket did not solicit this article.)
On Friday, Becket announced the Biden administration had agreed to allow Saint Francis a “waiver” to keep its chapel flame burning.
“The game was simply not worth the candle for HHS,” Lori Windham, vice president, and senior counsel at Becket, told the Washington Examiner. “It realized it would be playing with fire in court if it stood by its absurd demand, so it chose wisely. We are glad Saint Francis can continue to serve those most in need while keeping the faith.. . .
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