There is a shortage of military chaplains in the army, and not all respective positions have been filled.
According to Ukrinform, Viacheslav Horshkov, the head of the Department for Religious Affairs of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (SEFC), announced this during a press conference.
“Currently, not all the positions of military chaplains are filled. That is, we still face a certain deficit. The law on the service of military chaplains establishes a lower limit on the number of chaplains but no higher one. This does not mean the currently defined number of chaplains is sufficient, or if all religious organizations provide a sufficient number of chaplains and all of them take their positions, it will be enough. Perhaps the military will say that they need more,” he noted.
Horshkov also noted that the law on military chaplaincy service clearly states that a military chaplain should take care of both military personnel and their families, which is almost impossible.
“As of today, I see a certain problem. The military say, “We need more chaplains; we have unfilled positions”. These chaplains are supposed to be directly (located - ed.) next to the military, that is, closer to the front line. Yet, it is hard to imagine that the same person will simultaneously care for their brothers on the front line, in the trenches, and their families. It is simply impossible,” believes Horshkov.
Therefore, according to the representative of the SEFC, there is a parallel volunteer movement of chaplains who can pay more attention to families of the military.
Additionally, we see that the structure of chaplaincy is significantly developed abroad. There is military chaplaincy, medical chaplaincy, chaplaincy that helps police officers, chaplaincy among prisoners, and chaplaincy in various institutions. It is a perfectly normal, common tradition, and I foresee we will move in this direction,” Horshkov added.