"The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church is calling on the state, society, and all traditional religions in Russia to join efforts to revive the institution of military chaplains," the supreme canonical authority said following its first session this year.
The military chaplains bill was drafted by the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office and reportedly sent to the Defense Ministry for approval. Prosecutors hope chaplains will help improve morale in the army, recently plagued by corruption and hazing reports that have provoked public criticism in Russia and abroad. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Europe's largest security body, has said it would raise the issue at one of its sessions.
Advocates of the bill say the 2,000 priests who now preach at military units have reduced violence in barracks, although critics question the claim.
The bill, which proposes that chaplains serve on the same terms as professional servicemen, earlier stirred up debate among religious leaders.
Shafig Pshikhachev, spokesman for the North Caucasus Muslim Coordination Center, said at a recent roundtable on cooperation between the military and religious organizations that the armed forces could use priests, but that priests should not be part of the chain of command. He said their proposed inclusion in the official ranks would be a violation of the Constitution, which stipulates the separation of church and state.
Orthodox Church leader Alexy II said that priests focus on spiritual matters rather than discipline, and warned against expecting chaplains to do what in other armies is done by military police.
Today, however, Orthodox hierarchs pointed out that chaplains had been part of Russia's pre-Bolshevik military tradition. They also said chaplains or their equivalents worked in the armies of many countries, including the U.S., Britain, Germany, France, Israel, India, and Pakistan. The Baltic States and Armenia were the first among the post-Soviet states to bring chaplains back into their armies. Ukraine and Georgia plan to follow suit.
"Positive domestic and world experience shows that the revived institution of military clergy can be useful for the state and society," they said, adding that members of all traditional religions should contribute to spiritual, moral, and patriotic education of servicemen.
At the same time, the Orthodox Church, which is wary of other churches' attempts to convert its members, said that religious organizations whose members served in the armed forces should only be allowed to work in military units.
