WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The White House has agreed to pressure the Pentagon to put an end to discrimination against chaplains who pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
White House domestic policy adviser Claude Allen promised Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., that the president will take up the issue personally with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, The Washington Times reported.
Jones' office says chaplains should be able to pray to whomever "their faith tradition" demands, including named gods, saints or prophets.
Although no branch of the U.S. military explicitly forbids sectarian prayer, some say overtly evangelical Christian chaplains are whisked out of official ceremonies if they insist on praying in Jesus' name, the newspaper said.
Martha Rudd, an Army spokeswoman, said sectarian prayer has not been an issue among its 2,700 chaplains.
"Chaplains are advised to consider their audience when they're speaking publicly and be considerate of a plurality of views in the audience," she said. "But we don't tell them how they can and cannot pray."
