The Catholic hospital system the Biden administration had nearly forced to lose its accreditation over an eternal flame in its chapels is relieved that, after it threatened litigation, the federal government backed off, its counsel told Fox News Digital Monday.
The federal government had attempted to force the St. Francis Catholic hospital system Oklahoma to choose between losing its accreditation for Medicaid and Medicare or removing eternal flames from its chapels, which is central to their faith. The hospital system refused, citing their First Amendment rights and religious beliefs.
"St. Francis is relieved they've always served God and serve their community. Those two things go hand in hand, and they're happy to continue doing it," said Lori Windham, the Vice President and Senior Counsel The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
"It was shocking," Windham said. "I've been doing religious liberty work for a long time, and I was shocked. It's one thing to say you have a candle here, let's work on it. It's another thing to say that the people who need care won't be able to get it because you have a living flame in your sanctuary."
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The eternal flame symbolizes the presence of Christ and is an important part of their worship to show that the Blessed Sacrament is there and the presence of Christ is there, explained Windham.
She said the administration backed off because "they saw there was no way they could win. This was perfectly safe. The fire marshal had said it was okay. It had never been a problem before. And it's a very important religious exercise. So if they went into court, what would they have?"
The flames had been on, and never extinguished, for over a decade, including one at Saint Francis Hospital Yale Campus which had been burning for 63 years.
The Biden administration's decision against stripping accreditation followed a biting letter from the St. Francis to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on May 2, alleging the Biden administration was encroaching on the Catholic hospital system's First Amendment rights.
"If we go to court, you will lose. I write in the hope that you will see reason (or at least the law) and we can skip to the easy part," the hospital's counsel said.
"[Y]ou put not just Saint Francis Health System in peril but the entire State of Oklahoma and any person in need of Saint Francis Health System’s preeminent care, all because Saint Francis maintains a single, enclosed, and reverently kept eternal flame in its chapels," the letter continued. "In requiring Saint Francis to extinguish its flame, you are trying to extinguish not just a candle, but the First Amendment rights of Saint Francis Health System, as well as vital healthcare for the elderly, poor, and disabled in Oklahoma."
The health system's counsel said that cutting off accreditation for Medicare and Medicaid would have caused irreparable financial loss to their institutions. "This is a blatant violation of Saint Francis’s rights."
"I think it was a failure to understand the importance of religious freedom. When somebody says to you, this is part of my religious exercise, you have to take that seriously," St. Francis' attorney said.
