Head of State Ethnopolitics: There is a lack of chaplains in Ukraine
According to Yelensky, the chaplain must be able to discharge weapons, have knowledge of medicine and have ethical skills.
The head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, says that Ukraine still lacks military chaplains. He stated this during the national telethon.
“We, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, want these people to get the necessary skills. A chaplain is not a combatant, he does not pick up a weapon, but he must be able to at least defuse this weapon, he must be able to launch an armored personnel carrier, he must have medical, ethical and other skills,” Yelensky said.
At the same time, the official said that he did not know how long it would take to train chaplains, since military training is only the last stage in the service for which priests have been preparing all their lives.
As the UOJ reported, the UOC did not receive a single chaplaincy mandate; Yelensky said that in order to receive it, the priest needs to leave the UOC.
