Chaplains in the Russian army: commissars or healers of souls? Prospects for the Institute of Military Chaplains in the Russian Army
At all times of the existence of the Russian Orthodox Church, its most important mission was service to the Fatherland. She contributed to the state unification of disparate Slavic tribes into a single power, and later had a decisive influence on the process of preserving the national unity of the Russian land, the integrity and community of the peoples living on it.
Before the establishment of a regular army in the Russian state, the responsibility for the spiritual care of military men was assigned to the court clergy. Therefore, it can be assumed that by the middle of the 16th century, when a permanent streltsy army was created in Muscovy, numbering 20-25 thousand people, the first military priests appeared (however, written evidence of this has not survived).
It is reliably known about the presence of military priests during the reign of Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1645-1676). This is evidenced by the Charter of that time: “The teaching and cunning of the military formation of infantry people” (1647), in which the regimental priest was first mentioned and his salary was determined. From this time on, a system for managing the military clergy began to be created.
The further formation and improvement of the structure of the military clergy is associated with the reforms of Peter I. Thus, in the “Military Regulations” of 1716, the chapter “On the Clergy” first appeared, which determined the legal status of priests in the army, their responsibilities and main forms of activity:
“Military priests, being in unconditional subordination to the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy, are obliged to carry out all legal orders of the immediate military superiors. Misunderstandings and disagreements arising between the military authorities and military priests in the performance of church and liturgical duties are resolved either by the dean, or the protopresbyter, or local bishop.
Priests are obliged without fail, at the hours assigned by the regiment or command, but within the limits of church service time, to perform Divine services in the regimental churches, according to the established rite, on all Sundays, holidays and highly solemn days. In fixed churches, Divine services are celebrated simultaneously with diocesan churches.
Military priests are obliged to perform sacraments and prayers for military ranks in the church and their homes, without demanding remuneration for this.
Military priests make every effort to form church choirs from military ranks and those studying in regimental schools to sing during Divine services, and capable members of the military ranks are allowed to read in the choir.
Military priests are obliged to conduct catechetical conversations in the church and, in general, teach soldiers the truths of the Orthodox faith and piety, applying them to the level of their understanding, spiritual needs and responsibilities military service, and the sick - to edify and console in the infirmary.
Military chaplains must teach the Law of God in regimental schools, soldiers' children, training teams and other parts of the regiment; with the consent of the military authorities, they can organize non-liturgical conversations and readings. In units of troops located separately from regimental headquarters, locals are invited to teach the Law of God to the lower military ranks parish priests on conditions that the military commanders of those units find possible.
Military priests are obliged to protect military ranks from harmful teachings, eradicate superstitions in them, correct their moral shortcomings: to admonish, on the instructions of the regimental commander, vicious lower ranks, to prevent deviations from the Orthodox Church and, in general, to take care of the establishment of military ranks in faith and piety.
Military chaplains, by virtue of their rank, are obliged to lead their lives in such a way that military ranks see in them an edifying example of faith, piety, fulfillment of service duties, good family life and correct relationships with neighbors, superiors and subordinates.
In view of mobilization and during hostilities, military priests should not be dismissed from their places without particularly valid reasons, but are obliged to follow their appointments with military ranks, be at the indicated places without leaving and be in unconditional obedience to the military authorities."
In the 18th century, the Church and the army formed a single organism under the auspices of the state; Orthodox paraphernalia permeated military rituals, service and the life of soldiers.
During the 18th century, the administration of the military clergy in Peaceful time was not separated from the diocesan administration and belonged to the bishop of the area where the regiment was stationed. The reform of the management of the military and naval clergy was carried out by Emperor Paul I. By decree of April 4, 1800, the position of the field chief priest became permanent, and the management of all the clergy of the army and navy was concentrated in his hands. The chief priest received the right to independently determine, transfer, dismiss, and nominate for awards the clergy of his department. Regular salaries and pensions were determined for military shepherds. The first chief priest Pavel Ozeretskovsky was appointed a member of the Holy Synod and received the right to deal with issues personnel policy communicate with diocesan bishops without reporting to the Synod. In addition, the chief priest received the right to personally report to the emperor.
In 1815, a separate department of the chief priest of the General Staff and Guard troops was formed (later including the grenadier regiments), which soon became virtually independent of the Synod in matters of management. Chief priests of the Guards and Grenadier Corps N.V. Muzovsky and V.B. The Bazhanov also headed the court clergy in 1835-1883 and were confessors to the emperors.
A new reorganization of the administration of the military clergy took place in 1890. Power was again concentrated in the person of one person, who received the title of Protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy. During the First World War, Protopresbyter G.I. Shavelsky was for the first time given the right of personal presence at a military council; the protopresbyter was directly at headquarters and, like the once first chief priest P.Ya. Ozeretskovsky, had the opportunity to personally report to the emperor.
The number of clergy in the Russian army was determined by the staff approved by the Military Department. In 1800, about 140 priests served in the regiments, in 1913 - 766. At the end of 1915, about 2,000 priests served in the army, which was approximately 2% of total number clergy of the empire. In total, during the war years, from 4,000 to 5,000 representatives of the Orthodox clergy served in the army. Many of them then, without leaving the flock, continued their service in the armies of Admiral A.V. Kolchak, Lieutenant General A.I. Denikin and P.N. Wrangel.
The duties of a military clergyman were determined, first of all, by the orders of the Minister of War. The main duties of a military clergyman were as follows: at times strictly appointed by the military command, to perform divine services on Sundays and holidays; by agreement with the regimental authorities, at a certain time, prepare military personnel for confession and reception of the Holy Mysteries of Christ; perform sacraments for military personnel; manage a church choir; instruct military ranks in the truths of the Orthodox faith and piety; to console and edify the sick in faith, to bury the dead; teach the law of God and, with the consent of the military authorities, conduct non-liturgical conversations on this subject. The clergy had to preach “the word of God before the troops diligently and intelligibly... instill love for the faith, the sovereign and the Fatherland and confirm obedience to the authorities.”
The most important task solved by the military clergy was the education of spiritual and moral feelings and qualities in the Russian warrior. Make him a spiritual person - a person who performs his duties not out of fear of punishment, but out of the impulse of conscience and a deep conviction in the sanctity of his military duty. It cared about instilling among army and navy personnel the spirit of faith, piety and conscious military discipline, patience and courage, even to the point of self-sacrifice.
However, it was not only in the shadow of churches and in the silence of barracks that army and navy priests spiritually nourished their flock. They were next to the soldiers in battles and on campaigns, sharing with the soldiers and officers the joy of victories and the sorrow of defeats, the hardships of wartime. They blessed those going into battle, inspired the faint-hearted, consoled the wounded, advised the dying, saw off last way dead. They were loved by the army and needed by it.
History knows many examples of courage and dedication shown by military shepherds in the battles and campaigns of the Patriotic War of 1812. Thus, the priest of the Moscow Grenadier Regiment, Archpriest Miron of Orleans, walked under heavy cannon fire in front of the grenadier column in the battle of Borodino and was wounded. Despite the injury and severe pain, he remained in service and performed his duties.
An example of courage and fidelity to duty in the Patriotic War was the feat of another military shepherd, Ioannikiy Savinov, who served in the 45th naval crew. At the critical moment of the battle, Shepherd Ioannikis, wearing an epitrachelion, with a raised cross and loudly chanting a prayer, went into battle ahead of the soldiers. The inspired soldiers quickly rushed towards the enemy, who was in confusion.
From among two hundred military shepherds - participants Crimean War- two were awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree; 93 shepherds - with golden pectoral crosses, including 58 people - with crosses on the St. George ribbon; 29 military priests were awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, III and IV degrees.
Military chaplains were faithful to the valiant traditions of the army and navy clergy in subsequent wars.
Yes, during Russian-Turkish war In 1877-1878, the priest of the 160th Abkhazian Infantry Regiment, Feodor Matveevich Mikhailov, especially distinguished himself. In all the battles in which the regiment took part, Feodor Matveevich was in front. During the storming of the Kars fortress, a shepherd with a cross in his hand and wearing an epitrachelion, being in front of the chains, was wounded, but remained in the ranks.
Military and naval clergy showed examples of heroism and courage during the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1906.
Protopresbyter tsarist army Georgy Shavelsky, who had extensive experience as a military priest during the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905, defines his role in peacetime this way: “At present, it is especially strongly recognized that the religious side is of great importance in the education of the Russian army, in the development of a strong and the mighty spirit of the Russian army and that the role of the priest in the army is a respectable and responsible role, the role of a prayer book, educator and inspirer of the Russian army." IN war time, Georgy Shavelsky emphasizes, this role becomes even more important and responsible, and at the same time more fruitful.
The tasks for the activities of a priest in wartime are the same as in peacetime: 1) the priest is obliged to satisfy the religious feelings and religious needs of soldiers, through the performance of divine services and services; 2) the priest must influence his flock with pastoral word and example.
Many priests, going to war, imagined how they would lead their students into battle under fire, bullets and shells. The First World War showed a different reality. The priests did not have to “lead troops into battle.” The killing power of modern fire has made daylight attacks almost unthinkable. Opponents now attack each other in the dead of night, under the cover of night darkness, without unfurled banners and without the thunder of music; They attack furtively, so as not to be noticed and swept off the face of the earth by the fire of guns and machine guns. During such attacks, the priest has no place either in front or behind the attacking unit. At night, no one will see him, and no one will hear his voice, once the attack begins.
Archpriest Georgy Shavelsky noted that with the change in the nature of the war, the nature of the priest’s work in the war also changed. Now the priest’s place during a battle is not in the battle line, stretched over a huge distance, but near it, and his job is not so much to encourage those in the ranks, but to minister to those who have dropped out of the ranks - the wounded and killed.
His place is at the dressing station; when his presence at the dressing station is not necessary, he must also visit the battle line in order to encourage and console those there with his appearance. Of course, there can be and have been exceptions to this situation. Imagine that the unit trembled and began to retreat randomly; the appearance of a priest at such a moment can make a big difference.
Before the First World War, the Russian military clergy worked without a plan or system and even without the necessary control. Each priest worked on his own, according to his own understanding.
The organization of management of the military and naval clergy in peacetime could not be considered perfect. At the head of the department was a protopresbyter, vested with full power. Under him there was a Spiritual Board - the same as the Consistory under the diocesan bishop. Since 1912, the protopresbyter was given an assistant, who greatly facilitated his clerical work. But neither the assistant nor the Spiritual Board could act as intermediaries between the protopresbyter and the clergy subordinate to him, scattered throughout Russia. Such intermediaries were divisional and local deans. There were at least a hundred of them, and they were scattered across different Russian corners. There were no opportunities for private and personal communication between them and the protopresbyter. Unifying their activities, directing their work and controlling them was not easy. The protopresbyter needed to have extraordinary energy and extraordinary mobility in order to personally and on the spot check the work of all his subordinates.
But this management design turned out to be imperfect. The beginning of the addition of the Regulations was given by the Emperor himself during the formation of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who ordered the protopresbyter to be at this headquarters for the duration of the war. Further adjustments were made by the protopresbyter, who was given the right to personally, without approval from higher authorities, establish new positions in the army within his department, if they did not require expenses from the treasury. Thus, the following positions were established: 10 garrison deans in points where there were several priests; 2 dean reserve hospitals, which positions were assigned to priests at army headquarters.
In 1916, with the Supreme approval, special positions of army preachers were established, one for each army, who were entrusted with the responsibility of continuously traveling around, preaching, the military units of their army. The most outstanding spiritual speakers were elected to the positions of preachers. The English Colonel Knox, who was at the headquarters of the Northern Front, considered the idea of establishing the positions of army preachers to be brilliant. Finally, the chief priests of the fronts were given the right to use priests at army headquarters as their assistants in monitoring the activities of the clergy.
Thus, the spiritual apparatus at the theater of military operations represented a harmonious and perfect organization: the protopresbyter, his closest assistants; chief priests, their assistants; staff chaplains; finally, divisional and hospital dean and garrison priests.
At the end of 1916, the highest command established the positions of chief priests of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets.
For better association and the directions of activity of the clergy of the army and navy, from time to time, meetings of the protopresbyter with the main priests, the latter with staff priests and deans, and Congresses along the fronts, chaired by the protopresbyter or chief priests, were drawn up.
The First World War, as well as wars XIX century, gave many examples of the courage shown by military priests at the fronts.
During the Russian-Japanese War there were not even ten wounded and shell-shocked priests; in the First World War there were more than 400. More than a hundred military priests were captured. The capture of the priest indicates that he was at his post, and not in the rear, where there was no danger.
There are many other examples of the selfless activity of military priests during battles.
The differences for which priests could be awarded orders with swords or a pectoral cross on the St. George Ribbon can be divided into three groups. Firstly, this is the feat of the priest in the decisive moments of the battle with a cross in his raised hand, inspiring the soldiers to continue the battle.
Another type of priestly distinction is associated with the diligent performance of his immediate duties under special conditions. Often clergy performed divine services under enemy fire.
And, finally, the clergy performed feats possible for all army ranks. The first pectoral cross received on the St. George Ribbon was awarded to the priest of the 29th Chernigov Infantry Regiment, Ioann Sokolov, for saving the regimental banner. The cross was presented to him personally by Nicholas II, as recorded in the emperor’s diary. Now this banner is kept in the State Historical Museum in Moscow.
The revival of the mission of the Orthodox clergy in the Armed Forces today becomes not only a concern for the future, but also a tribute to the grateful memory of military priests.
The clergy quite successfully resolved issues of interreligious relations. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the entire life of a Russian person from birth to death was permeated with Orthodox teaching. The Russian Army and Navy were essentially Orthodox. The armed forces defended the interests of the Orthodox Fatherland, headed by the Orthodox Sovereign. But still, representatives of other religions and nationalities also served in the Armed Forces. And one thing was combined with another. Some ideas about the religious affiliation of the personnel of the imperial army and navy at the beginning of the 20th century are given by following information: At the end of 1913, there were 1,229 generals and admirals in the army and navy. Of these: 1079 Orthodox, 84 Lutherans, 38 Catholics, 9 Armenian Gregorians, 8 Muslims, 9 reformers, 1 sectarian (who joined the sect already as a general), 1 unknown. Among the lower ranks in 1901, 19,282 people were under arms in the Siberian Military District. Of these, 17,077 were Orthodox, 157 Catholics, 75 Protestants, 1 Armenian Gregorian, 1,330 Muslims, 100 Jews, 449 Old Believers and 91 idolaters (northern and eastern peoples). On average, in that period, Orthodox Christians made up 75% of the Russian Armed Forces, Catholics - 9%, Muslims - 2%, Lutherans - 1.5%, others - 12.5% (including those who did not declare their religious affiliation). Approximately the same ratio remains in our time. As noted in his report by the Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of Educational Work of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Rear Admiral Yu.F. Needs, of the believing military personnel, 83% are Orthodox Christians, 6% are Muslims, 2% are Buddhists, 1% each are Baptists, Protestants, Catholics and Jews, 3% consider themselves to be of other religions and beliefs.
IN Russian Empire relationships between religions were decided by law. Orthodoxy was the state religion. And the rest were divided into tolerant and intolerant. Tolerant religions included traditional religions that existed in the Russian Empire. These are Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Catholics, Lutherans, Reformers, Armenian Gregorians. Intolerant religions mainly included sects that were completely prohibited.
The history of relations between faiths, like much else in the Russian armed forces, dates back to the reign of Peter I. During the time of Peter I, the percentage of representatives of other Christian denominations and nationalities in the army and navy increased significantly - especially Germans and Dutch.
According to Chapter 9 of the Military Regulations of 1716, it was prescribed that “Everyone who generally belongs to our Army, regardless of what faith or nation they are, should have Christian love among themselves.” That is, all disagreements on religious grounds were immediately suppressed by law. The charter obligated to treat local religions with tolerance and care, both in areas of deployment and on enemy territory. Article 114 of the same Charter read: “... priests, church servants, children, and others who cannot resist will not be offended or insulted by our military people, and churches, hospitals and schools will be greatly spared and will not be subjected to cruel corporal punishment.”
In the armed forces of those years, non-Orthodox people were mainly among the top ranks and even less among the middle command ranks. The lower ranks, with rare exceptions, were Orthodox. For non-Orthodox people, a Lutheran church was built in the house of Kotlin’s defense chief, Vice Admiral Cornelius Kruys, back in 1708. This church served as a meeting place not only for Lutherans, but also for Dutch reformers. Despite religious differences, they followed the instructions of the Lutheran preacher and adhered to Lutheran rituals. In 1726, already a full admiral and vice-president of the Admiralty Board, Cornelius Cruys wanted to build a Lutheran church, but illness and imminent death stopped his intentions.
An Anglican church was built in St. Petersburg for the English who served in the navy. Heterodox and heterodox churches were also built in other army and navy bases, for example in Kronstadt. Some of them were built directly on the initiative of the military and naval departments.
The Charter on Field and Cavalry Service of 1797 determined the order of military personnel for religious services. In accordance with the 25th chapter of this Charter, on Sundays and holidays, all Christians (both Orthodox and non-Orthodox) had to go to church in formation under the leadership of one of the officers. When approaching the Orthodox Church, a restructuring was carried out. Orthodox soldiers entered their church, while Catholics and Protestants continued to march in formation to their churches and churches.
When Vasily Kutnevich was chief priest of the army and navy, the positions of imams were established in military ports on the Black and Baltic Seas in 1845. They were established in the ports of Kronstadt and Sevastopol - one imam and an assistant each, and in other ports - one imam, who was elected from the lower ranks with a state salary.
As noted above, in connection with the military reform carried out in the second half of the 19th century, all-class military service was introduced. The range of people recruited from different religions has expanded significantly. Military reform demanded a more attentive attitude to interreligious relations.
This issue became even more relevant after 1879, when Baptists and Stundists achieved the adoption of a law that equalized their rights with heterodox confessions. Thus, legally they became a tolerant religion. Baptists began to conduct enormous propaganda among military personnel. Counteraction to Baptist propaganda lay solely on the shoulders of the military clergy, who had help from the state only if this propaganda clearly contradicted state laws.
The military clergy faced a difficult task - to prevent religious differences from developing into contradictions. Military personnel of different faiths were told literally the following: “... we are all Christians, Mohammedans, Jews, together at the same time we pray to our God, therefore the Lord Almighty, who created heaven, earth and everything on earth, is for us the one, true God.” And these were not just declarations; such fundamentally important guidelines were statutory norms.
The priest was supposed to avoid any disputes about faith with people of other faiths. The set of military regulations of 1838 stated: “Regimental priests should not enter into debates about faith with people of another confession.” In 1870, in Helsingfors, a book by the dean of the headquarters of the troops of the Finnish Military District, Archpriest Pavel Lvov, “Memorial Book on the Rights and Responsibilities of the Army Clergy,” was published.
In particular, in Chapter 34 of this document there was a special section called “On the prevention and suppression of crimes against the rules of religious tolerance.” And the military clergy made every effort at all times to prevent religious conflicts and any infringement of the rights and dignity of adherents of other faiths in the troops.
During the First World War, due to the presence of representatives of other religions in the Armed Forces, Protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy Georgy Ivanovich Shavelsky, in circular No. 737 dated November 3, 1914, addressed the Orthodox military priests with the following appeal: “... I earnestly ask the clergy active army avoid, if possible, any religious disputes and denunciations of other faiths, and at the same time ensure that brochures and leaflets containing harsh expressions addressed to Catholicism, Protestantism and other confessions do not end up in field and hospital libraries for military ranks, since such literary works can offend the religious feelings of those belonging to these confessions and embitter them against the Orthodox Church, and sow hostility in military units that is detrimental to the cause. The clergy laboring on the battlefield has the opportunity to confirm the greatness and rightness of the Orthodox Church not with a word of denunciation, but with the deed of Christian selfless service to both Orthodox and non-Orthodox, remembering that the latter shed blood for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland and that we have one Christ with them , one Gospel and one baptism, and not missing an opportunity to serve the healing of their spiritual and physical wounds." Article 92 of the Charter internal service read: "Although Orthodox faith dominant, but Gentiles, heterodox people everywhere enjoy the free exercise of their faith and worship according to its rites." In the Naval Regulations of 1901 and 1914, in the 4th section: "On the order of service on a ship," it was said: "Infidels of Christian confessions perform public prayers according to rules of their faith, with the permission of the commander, in the place appointed by him, and, if possible, simultaneously with Orthodox worship. During long voyages, they retire, if possible, to their church for prayer and fasting" (Article 930). Article 931 of the Naval Charter allowed Muslims to pray on Fridays, and Jews on Saturdays: "If there are Muslims or Jews on the ship , they are allowed to read public prayers, according to the rules of their faith and in places designated by the commander: for Muslims - on Fridays, and for Jews - on Saturdays. This is also allowed for them on their main holidays, during which they are, if possible, released from service and sent ashore." Attached to the regulations were lists of the most significant holidays of each faith and religion, not only Christians, Muslims and Jews, but even Buddhists and Karaites. On these holidays, representatives of these confessions were to be exempted from military service. Article 388 of the Internal Service Regulations stated: “Jews, Mohammedans and other non-Christian military personnel, on days of special worship performed according to their faith and rituals, may be exempted from official duties. and, if possible, from the outfits in the unit. For the schedule of holidays, see the Appendix." On these days, the commanders necessarily granted leave for non-religious people outside the unit to visit their churches.
Thus, representatives of tolerant religions, both Christian and non-Christian, were allowed to pray according to the rules of their faith. For this, the commanders allocated them a certain place and time. The organization of religious services and prayers by non-religious people was enshrined in organizational orders for the unit or ship. If there was a mosque or synagogue at the point of deployment of a unit or ship, the commanders, if possible, released non-religious people there for prayers.
By the beginning of the 20th century, in ports and large garrisons, in addition to the Orthodox clergy, there were military priests of other confessions. These are, first of all, Catholic chaplains, Lutheran preachers, evangelical preachers, Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis, and later also Old Believer priests. The military Orthodox clergy treated representatives of other faiths with a sense of tact and due respect.
History does not know a single fact when any conflicts in the Russian Army or Navy arose on religious grounds. Both during the war with Japan and in the war with Germany they successfully cooperated and Orthodox priest, and a mullah, and a rabbi.
Thus, it can be noted that only at the beginning of the 20th century such a military-religious service was formed in the Russian army, which we often refer to when referring to its history.
In the first place among the many tasks solved by the military clergy was the desire to cultivate spiritual and moral strength in the Russian warrior, to make him a person imbued with a true Christian mood, performing his duties not out of fear of threats and punishment, but out of conscience and deep conviction in the sanctity of his duty. It took care of instilling in the troops the spirit of faith, piety and military discipline, patience, courage and self-sacrifice.
In general, the staffing and official structure of the military and naval clergy, as historical experience shows, made it possible to successfully carry out work in the troops on the religious education of military personnel, study and quickly influence the morale of the troops, and strengthen their reliability.
Military priests in the Russian army will no longer surprise anyone - “priests in uniform” have organically fit into the modern Russian army. Before carrying the word of God into the ranks, army chaplains must undergo a month-long combat training course. Recently, such training began at the Military University of the Ministry of Defense. The “cadets in cassocks”, as if in spirit, told the special correspondent of “Culture” who visited there why they needed the army.
Shooting is canceled
Officially, according to the staff list, their position is called “assistant commander for work with religious servicemen.” The rank is high: one military chaplain cares for a large formation - a division, a brigade, a military college, that's several thousand people. Despite the fact that they themselves are not military personnel, do not wear shoulder straps, and by virtue of their clergy they are generally prohibited from picking up weapons, military chaplains undergo military training courses every three years.
The head of the department for work with religious military personnel, Alexander Surovtsev, believes that an army priest, although a spiritual person, must also have certain military knowledge. For example, to have an idea of the types and branches of troops, to understand how the Airborne Forces differ from the Navy and the Strategic Missile Forces from the Airborne Forces.
Training to improve military qualifications, Surovtsev tells Culture, lasts a month and is conducted at five military educational institutions throughout the country. The current group of priests at the Military University is the fourth since the spring of 2013. It has 18 Orthodox priests from various regions of Russia, most of them appointed to positions this year. In total, 60 representatives of the military clergy have already successfully completed training here, including 57 Orthodox Christians, two Muslims and one Buddhist.
Surovtsev himself is a career military man. But for the sake of his current position, he had to remove his shoulder straps - a civilian must manage the priests. "It's the chaplains who have military ranks, and we have priests without shoulder straps,” smiles Alexander Ivanovich. Back in the early 90s, he was seconded to the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies and, in fact, stood at the origins of the institute of military clergy in the army.
As Surovtsev said, within a month the cadet priests will have to master the basics of tactics and other sciences.
The further list of topics - spiritual and educational, moral and psychological, philosophical and political science, socio-economic - made my head spin. I think I’m not the only one, so military priests are especially looking forward to going “to the field” - to training grounds and shooting ranges. This year they will not be given weapons in their hands - there have been too many misunderstandings about the participation of their predecessors in the shootings. The media was full of photographs of priests with Kalashnikovs, the captions were not very kind. Therefore, this time the Ministry of Defense decided not to expose themselves, and not to substitute the priests. True, some complain.
If you can’t shoot, then what will the priests do at the shooting range? Watch how military personnel make holes in targets and bless them for a well-aimed shot. Practical training for priests includes familiarization with a field station for working with religious military personnel, which will be deployed at one of the training grounds in the Moscow region. This type of tent is also available at the Military University - in case the cadets and students who are constantly studying here leave for field training. Assistant to the head of the university, Archpriest Dmitry Solonin, will tell everything and show his fellow priests who arrived for advanced training - many brought with them camp sets of church utensils. By the way, the Russian Army also has a permanent camp temple - so far there is only one, in Abkhazia, on the territory of the 7th Russian military base in the city of Gudauta. The local archpriest Vasily Alesenko believes that soon a permanent church will be built for them. “Everything is God’s will,” he told me. “Well, a little help from the Ministry of Defense.”
And just the other day, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Dmitry Bulgakov, announced that on two arctic islands, where Russian troops are stationed, the construction of chapels has been completed. There will be four of them in this region - on the islands of Kotelny, Wrangel, Franz Josef Land and Cape Schmidt.
In addition to classes (this is 144 training hours), military chaplains also have a cultural program. They will visit the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, the Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekov, will go to the Borodino field, where they will serve a prayer service. And on November 3, they are entrusted with participating in the evening service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where the next day a solemn service will take place in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
Shepherd of Orthodox Sheep
I’ve always wondered how the army addresses military chaplains? Do they have military uniforms or camouflage cassocks? Are soldiers supposed to salute their priests, after all, they are an assistant (consider a deputy) to the commander?
“I overheard our priests deciphering the word “priest” - shepherd of Orthodox sheep,” Alexander Surovtsev smiles. - In general, that’s true... There are no special recommendations for contacting priests in the army. There is definitely no need to give honor - their rank is not military, but spiritual. Most often the priest is addressed as “father.”
Father Oleg from Kostroma echoes Surovtsev: “You need to earn your appeal. So you come to the commander, introduce yourself by last name, first name, patronymic, and church rank, and then it depends on the relationship, on what result you bring. But most often they are called, of course, father.”
I heard everything - the Holy Father, and even “Your Eminence” from the lips of the authorities, many hesitated, not knowing what to call it, laughs Archpriest Oleg Khatsko. “But it’s better to give the commander the opportunity to choose the treatment himself.”
Priest Dionisy Grishin from the Airborne Forces training center (himself former paratrooper) also remembers, not without a smile, how he experimented with greetings.
I approach the line of soldiers and roar in a deep voice: “I wish you good health, comrade soldiers!” Father Dionysius shows naturally. - Well, in response, as expected, they answer: “We wish you good health...” - and then there is confusion. Some fell silent, others said randomly, “comrade priest,” “comrade priest.” And somehow a mischievous guy came across, who also spoke in a deep voice, while his comrades were wondering how he would say: “We wish you good health, comrade priest!” I just laughed, but later I just said hello, not in a military way.
With the form, everything is also simple - the priests serve in church clothes, as expected. But they are given field camouflage - upon request. It’s more convenient to move through forests and fields in it and during exercises, and it doesn’t get as dirty as a cassock.
During the service, of course, not about any military uniform“It’s out of the question,” explains priest Evgeniy Tsiklauri from the Russian Kant military base in Kyrgyzstan. - But when sometimes you put on a uniform, you feel more favor from the soldiers. Here Muslim military personnel become more open, they see you as a comrade, a fellow soldier. By the way, regarding Muslims, we managed to agree that a local imam would read sermons to them on a freelance basis.
Military chaplains don’t get too hung up on fasting either.
Posting in the army is optional, we will only advise what you can abstain from, the priests say. - It also depends on the intensity of the service. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the army fasted in groups - a week for each unit. And Peter I at one time demanded permission from the patriarch not to fast during wars and campaigns.
But the main thing for a military priest is not the form, but the content: his task is to increase the morale of the unit.
In Chechnya, during the war, soldiers reached out to the priest, hoping to find moral support from him, an opportunity to strengthen their spirit by hearing a wise and calm word, reserve colonel Nikolai Nikulnikov recalls in a conversation with Culture. “As a commander, I did not interfere and I myself always treated the priests with respect - after all, they walked with the soldiers under the same bullets.” And in peaceful life, while serving in the Ulyanovsk airborne brigade, I became convinced that the word of a priest disciplines. If the fighters have been to confession with a good priest or just at a church service, you certainly don’t expect drinking or other violations from them. You can say: like the priest, so is the regiment. They know how to set people up to complete a task without any commands.
Gentlemen Junkers
In the Russian army, according to statistics, 78% are believers, but few people have knowledge that extends beyond the Lord’s Prayer. “There are many believers, but few are enlightened,” complains Father Vasily. “But that’s our purpose—to strengthen the spirit and mind of our flock.”
Guys now come to the army with faith in their hearts, we only help them, says Archpriest Oleg Novikov from the Kostroma Academy of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection. “This year, immediately after entering the academy, forty young men came to the temple. And no one forced them to do this.
Father Oleg recalls an episode 17 years ago, when the film “The Barber of Siberia” was filmed in Kostroma - 300 school cadets were involved. They were given a cadet uniform, which they wore neither during classes nor even during discharges to the city. To get used to the image. Grandmothers cried on the streets, recognizing the cadets' uniforms - the same as in the surviving photographs of their fathers.
At that time I was already the rector of the temple, which was located on the territory of the school, and all these three months we lived together with the cadets,” continues the archpriest. - And I noticed how guys change literally before our eyes...
When under New Year Nikita Mikhalkov and the actors went to Moscow, the “junkers” got a break from working in cinema. It would seem that we could relax. But no! They became so accustomed to their new essence that when they entered the church, they sang “Our Father” and other prayers even better and more conscientiously than in the presence of their film mentors.
They did it absolutely sincerely, that’s what’s important,” says Father Oleg. - Not under coercion, but solely of one’s own free will.
Oleg Novikov himself also graduated from the Kostroma Military School.
At one time, Novikov’s namesake, Archpriest Oleg Khatsko, was a cadet at the Kaliningrad Higher Naval School. He studied well, did not violate discipline - in three years of study, he was AWOL only twice, one of which turned out to be a collective one - in protest against the injustice of the teacher. But then one day he felt that this was not his military career, he wrote a report and left.
Friends, especially those who are still serving in Kaliningrad, joke: they say, was it worth leaving the school to come back here again, even as a military chaplain?
When we were already saying goodbye to the heroes of this essay, a chant was heard within the walls of the Military University. The priests unanimously said: “It is worthy to eat as one truly blesses You, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God-o-o...”
This is a prayer at the completion of any good deed,” explained Alexander Surovtsev. “And our cadets-priests went through another course of lectures and enriched themselves with knowledge that will help them in communicating with their military flock. It's not a sin to sing.
Salary for a priest
The decision to create an institute of military clergy in the Russian army and navy was made on July 21, 2009.
The first in 2011 was Father Anatoly Shcherbatyuk, who was ordained to the rank of priest at the Church of Sergius of Radonezh in the city of Sertolovo, Leningrad Region (Western Military District). Now there are more than 140 military chaplains in the army. Their composition is proportional to the ratio of believing military personnel.
Orthodox make up 88%, Muslims - 9%. There is only one Buddhist military priest so far - in a separate motorized rifle brigade in the Buryat city of Kyakhta. This is the lama of the Murochinsky monastery-datsan, reserve sergeant Bair Batomunkuev, he does not claim a separate temple in the military unit - he performs rituals in a yurt. In 1914, about 5,000 regimental and naval chaplains and several hundred chaplains served in the Russian army. Mullahs also served in national formations, for example in the “Wild Division”, staffed by immigrants from the Caucasus.. Formally, clergy did not have military ranks, but in fact in the military environment a deacon was equated to a lieutenant, a priest to a captain, a rector of a military cathedral and a divisional dean to a lieutenant colonel, a field chief priest of armies and navies and a chief priest of the General Staff, Guards and Grenadier Corps - to major general, and the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy (the highest ecclesiastical position for the army and navy, established in 1890) - to lieutenant general.
The church “table of ranks” influenced the salaries paid from the treasury of the military department and other privileges. For example, each ship's priest was entitled to a separate cabin and boat, he had the right to pester the ship from the starboard side, which, besides him, was allowed only to flagships, ship commanders and officers who had St. George's awards. The sailors were obliged to salute him.
In the Russian army, Orthodox priests resumed their activities almost immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, this happened on a voluntary basis and their activities strongly depended on the will of a particular unit commander - in some places priests were not even allowed on the threshold, but in others the doors were thrown wide open, and even senior officers stood to attention in front of the clergy.
The first official cooperation agreement between the church and the army was signed in 1994. At the same time, the Coordination Committee for interaction between the Armed Forces and the Russian Orthodox Church appeared. In February 2006, Patriarch Alexy II gave his blessing for the training of military priests “for the spiritual care of the Russian army.” Soon Russian President Vladimir Putin approved this idea.
The priests' salaries are paid by the Ministry of Defense. Recently they were given a 10 percent bonus for the difficult nature of their service and long working hours. It began to cost 30-40 thousand rubles a month. As Culture learned, the defense department is now considering the possibility of equating their salaries to what military personnel receive in a similar position as assistant commander of a formation - it will be approximately 60,000. With God’s help, one can live.
In pre-Petrine Rus', clergy were temporarily assigned to regiments by patriarchal order or by direct order of the tsar. Under Peter the Great, a special tax began to be collected from parishes - auxiliary money in favor of regimental priests and naval hieromonks. According to the Military Charter of the year, each regiment had to have a priest, in wartime subordinate to the field chief priest of the active army, and according to the Charter of the naval service of the year, a hieromonk was appointed to each ship (sometimes familyless priests from the white clergy were appointed), and at the head of the naval clergy was placed Chief Hieromonk of the Fleet. In peacetime, the clergy of the ground forces were subordinate to the bishop of the diocese where the regiment was stationed, i.e. was not incorporated into a special corporation.
The position of the military clergy began to gradually improve after Catherine II ordered the construction of special churches for the guards regiments, and also granted military priests the right to receive side income from services for the civilian population.
In accordance with the personal decree of Nicholas I of December 6, the position of regimental priest was equal to the rank of captain. Legal status military and naval clergy remained quite vague until the end of tsarist Russia: the repeatedly legislated double subordination of military and naval priests to their spiritual superiors and the military command, which was in charge of the unit cared for by a particular priest, was not explained in any of the normative documents.
Statistics
The office of the Protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy included:
- cathedrals – 12; churches - 806 regimental, 12 serf, 24 hospital, 10 prison, 6 port, 3 house, and 34 at various institutions. In total - 907 temples.
- Protopresbyter - 1, archpriests - 106, priests - 337, protodeacons - 2, deacons - 55, psalmists - 68. In total - 569 clergy, of whom 29 graduated from theological academies, 438 - theological seminaries, and 102 had school and home education.
Periodicals
- “Bulletin of the military clergy”, magazine (since this year; in - years - “Bulletin of the military and naval clergy”, in the year - “Church and social thought. Progressive organ of the military and naval clergy”).
Headship
Chief priests of the army and navy
- Pavel Yakovlevich Ozeretskovsky, prot. (-)
- Ioann Semenovich Derzhavin, archpriest. (-)
- Pavel Antonovich Modzhuginsky, prot. (-)
- Grigory Ivanovich Mansvetov, prot. (-)
- Vasily Ioannovich Kutnevich, protoprep. (-)
Chief priests of the army and navy
The discussion around the creation of an institute of chaplains in the Russian army is growing. The rector of the Church of the All-Merciful Savior, Priest Alexander Ilyashenko, who heads the sector of the Synodal Department for interaction with the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, shared his point of view on the prospects for reforming relations between the army and the Church with observer Maria Sveshnikova.
“It seems to me that the bill itself lacks a constitutional basis,” says Father Alexander. – For example, from whom will the chaplain receive money? From the Ministry of Defense? This big question. It is also planned to assign the ranks of senior officers to priests, and sergeants to their assistants. If so, then it is completely unclear on what basis these titles will be awarded, whether representatives of the Church will take the military oath, and to whom they must obey - the clergy or the military authorities.
Further, as Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov said, the army will need 3.5 thousand priests, while now in the Russian Orthodox Church there are only a little more than 15 thousand. And it seems to me very problematic to remove three and a half thousand priests from parishes and send them to military units. Moreover, such a priest must have very deep special training for missionary and educational work in a military unit. In addition, there is a need to create programs, methodological and teaching aids, development of courses for the training of military chaplains, after which they could work in the troops.
Those who have encountered the structures of the armed forces understand that there are several levels in the army. Working with enlisted personnel is one thing, working with junior officers (they are young) is another. And it’s completely different with the elder officers, where established people serve, as a rule, families, with extensive service and work experience. It is obvious that the approach to these audiences must be fundamentally different. This means that such preparation is required. It is also very important to think about how to make sure that the regimental priest does not appear to be in opposition. Or so that the officer environment does not find itself in opposition to him. Which is also understandable, since until now they lived and worked as they were taught, but suddenly a new person will appear in the unit who will say things that are unusual for them.
Moreover, in order to perceive what you are told about faith, you need the desire to believe. What if this desire is not there? It is obvious that a very serious revision of the entire existing system of educational programs and higher military educational institutions will be required so that graduates of these institutions can kindly and deeply perceive what the regimental priest will come to them with. So that they are like-minded people, not opponents.
The next thing that needs to be noted is that the sphere of application of the priest’s forces is important. In Orthodoxy, the center of gravity falls on worship and the Sacrament. Educational work is very important, but at first glance it is secondary, since it directly depends on liturgical life. And in order to establish liturgical life in units, it takes a lot of time.
Next, you need to think about allocating personal time for soldiers and officers who would like to contact the regimental priest. And here, too, a lot of preparatory work must be done so that those serving in the army respond in the same way as they responded during the times of Suvorov and Kutuzov. And even earlier, in the time of Dmitry Donskoy, when it was obvious to everyone that without God’s help it was impossible to achieve any success, and they went into battle, overshadowed by banners and icons.
Therefore, it seems to me that there should be a program on a national scale, and not just the Ministry of Defense or other power ministries, and not only the Russian Orthodox Church. Because it requires the work of a very wide range of specialists high level, in order to review and supplement the educational work and educational requirements that are given to those who enter military educational institutions. And here you need to be prepared for the fact that a lot of difficulties will arise: someone will not want to study these subjects, someone will say that they consider themselves to be a different religion or denomination.
It is also worth saying that the question will immediately arise that if Orthodox priests are allowed to serve in the army, clergy of other religions will also have to be allowed to serve. Then it is impossible to exclude the possibility that representatives of other religions will serve in the army. For example, Protestants who have great material resources, but are alien to the spiritual traditions of our people. This can be difficult Negative influence on the psychological structure of military personnel, cause rejection, and a wave of discontent against any introduction, including Orthodox priests.
So the question of regimental priests is a delicate problem that needs to be resolved very delicately, without offending the feelings of believers and non-believers. And it’s worth immediately identifying what difficulties and obstacles we will have to face and how to overcome them.”
The prospects for the institution of military chaplains in the Russian army are assessed positively due to the fact that this initiative of the leaders of the largest religious communities in Russia finds support among Russian authorities and in society. The need for military clergy stems from the presence of a significant flock - religious military personnel, including those undergoing military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. However, the initiative also faces visible problems.
Story
Russian empire
According to Boris Lukichev, head of the department for work with religious military personnel of the main department for work with personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, 5 thousand military priests and several hundred chaplains served in the army of the Russian Empire. Mullahs also served in national-territorial formations, such as the “Wild Division”.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, the activities of army and navy priests were secured by a special legal status. So, although formally the clergy did not have military ranks, in fact in military environment a deacon was equated to a lieutenant, a priest - to a captain, the rector of a military cathedral or temples, as well as a divisional dean - to a lieutenant colonel, a field chief priest of the army and navy and a chief priest of the General Staff, Guards and Grenadier Corps - to a major general, and a protopresbyter military and naval clergy (the highest ecclesiastical position for the army and navy, established in 1890) - to lieutenant general.
This applied both to the monetary allowance paid from the treasury of the military department, and to privileges: for example, each ship's chaplain was entitled to a separate cabin and boat, he had the right to pester the ship from the starboard side, which except him was allowed only to flagships, ship commanders and officers , who had St. George's awards. The sailors were obliged to salute him.
Russian Federation
In post-Soviet Russia, according to the head of the synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies, Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, Orthodox priests resumed their activities in the troops immediately after the collapse of the USSR, but during the first two decades they did this for free and on on a voluntary basis.
In 1994, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II and Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev signed a cooperation agreement - the first official document on relations between the church and the army in Russian Federation. Based on this document, the Coordination Committee for interaction between the Armed Forces and the Russian Orthodox Church was created. In February 2006, Patriarch Alexy II allowed the training of military priests “for the spiritual care of the Russian army,” and in May of the same year, then Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in favor of re-establishing the institution of military priests.
Modernity
Need
According to Sergei Mozgovoy, Chairman of the Committee on Freedom of Conscience of the National Assembly of Russia, in 1992, 25% of Russian military personnel considered themselves believers, and by the end of the decade their number began to decline. Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, citing sociological data from the Russian Ministry of Defense, claims that the share of Russian military personnel who consider themselves believers increased from 36% in 1996 to 63% in 2008.
In February 2010, the Newsru.com portal reported, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, that two-thirds of Russian military personnel call themselves believers, of which 83% are Orthodox, 8% are Muslim. According to the same portal, as of July 2011, 60% of Russian military personnel considered themselves believers, 80% of them were Orthodox.
According to VTsIOM, in August 2006, the introduction of the institution of military chaplains or other clergy representatives in the Russian army was supported by 53% of Russians. In July 2009, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov estimated the need for military chaplains in the Russian army and navy at 200-250 people. According to Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, the need is much greater: “In israeli army There is one rabbi for every 100 military personnel. In the USA there is one chaplain for every 500-800 military personnel. With an army of a million people, we need to have about one thousand clergy.”
Chief priest Russian Airborne Forces Priest Mikhail Vasiliev in 2007 assessed the need of clergy for Russian troops in the following way: about 400 Orthodox priests, 30-40 Muslim mullahs, 2-3 Buddhist lamas and 1-2 Jewish rabbis.
Organization
The re-creation of the institution of military clergy is an initiative of the leaders of the largest religious communities in Russia, which was supported by the country's President Dmitry Medvedev in July 2009. On December 1, 2009, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation introduced the positions of assistant unit commander for work with religious servicemen, which will be filled by military priests. They will be classified as civilian personnel military units, which fully corresponds to the position of Dmitry Medvedev.
The importance of this circumstance is also recognized by the clergy. In particular, the head of the synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church for relations between church and society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the chairman of the Coordination Center for Muslims of the North Caucasus, Mufti Ismail Berdiev, and Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, speak out in support. The latter said in December 2009: “Epaulettes on the shoulders of a priest are not in our national tradition.” At the same time, he believes, “... the priest must be equated with senior officers so that he can be treated adequately in the officer corps.”
As Boris Lukichev, head of the department for work with religious servicemen of the main department for work with personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, explains, this is fundamental difference the Russian system from the situation, for example, in Italy, Poland, the USA. In the armies of the listed countries, chaplains serve - priests who have military ranks and are administratively subordinate to the unit commander. Russian military priests will submit to their church leadership, working closely with the unit commander in the educational aspects of their work.
It is noteworthy that the positions of assistant commanders for educational work are not abolished, and military chaplains will not duplicate their functions. They have no right to take up arms. In fact, they can be considered representatives of the clergy assigned to the army. The position of a military chaplain is contractual. The contract is concluded between the priest and the unit commander, in agreement with the Ministry of Defense. As of July 2011, 240 such positions were introduced. The official salary of such an assistant is set at 10 thousand rubles per month; taking into account allowances for the regional coefficient, for complexity and for length of service, the total amount of monthly payments can reach 25 thousand rubles. This money is paid by the state.
A number of church hierarchs consider these amounts to be insufficient. Thus, Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov recalls that the rank and salary of a regimental priest in the pre-revolutionary army corresponded to the rank of captain, and Archbishop Ignatius of Khabarovsk and Amur explains: “In order for a priest to devote himself entirely to service, he must be provided with a decent salary. The monetary allowance of military chaplains, regulated by the Ministry of Defense, is very modest. It is not enough to support a clergyman and his family. It is impossible to live on that amount. The priest will have to look for income on the side. And this will greatly affect his service, and his potential will be greatly reduced.”
At the beginning of 2010 " Russian newspaper» cited higher figures for the planned salaries of military chaplains - from 25 to 40 thousand rubles per month. It was also reported that they would presumably live in officer dormitories or service apartments, and each would be given an office at the unit headquarters. In July 2011, the same newspaper cited the example of military priest Andrei Zizo, serving in South Ossetia and receiving 36 thousand rubles a month.
In December 2009, the head of the department of the Main Directorate for Educational Work (GUVR) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel Igor Sergienko, said that the created department for work with religious military personnel could be headed by a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church, but in October 2010, reserve colonel Boris Lukichev became the head of this department ; he still heads it today.
Implementation
The first 13 military priests were sent by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to serve at foreign bases of the Russian army in December 2009, but in July 2011, Boris Lukichev reported that out of 240 such positions, only 6 have been filled so far - at military bases of the Black Sea Fleet, in Armenia, Tajikistan , Abkhazia and South Ossetia; In addition, there is one military mullah in the Southern Military District. Lukichev explains this by the fact that candidates undergo a very careful selection - each one is personally approved by Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
Some members of the clergy believe this state of affairs is the result of inaction and red tape by the military. Thus, in September 2010, the portal “Religion and Media” quoted an unnamed “high-ranking representative of the Moscow Patriarchate”: “On the part of the military department, there is complete sabotage of issues related to the determination of religious representatives in the army and navy.”
According to the same source, by September 2010, governing bodies for military chaplains should have been formed at district headquarters and in the fleets, but this was not done. Moreover, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense did not hold a single meeting with representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church on this issue.
However, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' places responsibility for the red tape on the church hierarchs - in particular, on the bishops of the Southern federal district. The process of introducing the institution of military priests, according to Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov’s estimate given in December 2009, will take from two to five years.
There are no special premises for the work of military chaplains on the territories of military units yet, but Patriarch Kirill, speaking in May 2011 to students at the General Staff Academy in Moscow, said that such premises need to be allocated. In November 2010, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that the construction of Orthodox churches in military units would be discussed by a working group that would be created specifically for this purpose in the ministry.
By mid-2011, according to Boris Lukichev, about 200 churches, chapels and prayer rooms were built in the garrisons of the Russian Armed Forces. This was done without orders and without government funding. In total, at the beginning of 2010, there were 530 churches operating on the territory of Russian military units.
Purpose
Patriarch Kirill believes that military priests will achieve a fundamental change in the moral atmosphere in the Russian Armed Forces and the gradual eradication of “negative phenomena in relations between conscripts.” He is convinced that positive influence will also have an impact on morale, because a person who has “religious experience of life” and is deeply aware that betrayal, evasion of one’s direct duties and violation of the oath are mortal sins, “will be capable of any feat.”
Boris Lukichev, head of the department for work with religious servicemen of the main department for work with personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, is more skeptical: “It would be naive to think that a priest will come and there will be no incidents right away.”
According to Lukichev, the mission of military priests is different: “The service of military priests brings to the army a moral aspect, a moral dimension. What was it like during the war? The priest was always close to the fighters. And when a soldier was mortally wounded, he held a funeral service at the first aid station, where he saw him off on his last journey. Then he informed his relatives that their son or father died for the Tsar, the Fatherland and the faith, and was interred in accordance with Christian customs. It's hard but necessary work."
And Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov thinks this way: “We want every serviceman to understand what a Christian attitude to life, service, and comrade consists of. So that there are no suicides, escapes, or crossbows in the army. And the most important thing is to convey to the person in uniform why and in the name of what one must be ready to give his life for the Motherland. If we succeed in all this, then we will consider that our work has borne fruit.”
Abroad
By the beginning of 2010, the institution of military clergy was absent only in three large military powers of the world - China, North Korea and Russia. In particular, there are military chaplains who receive an officer's salary in all NATO countries.
This issue is resolved differently in neighboring countries. For example, in Moldova, military chaplains are appointed by official decrees and given military ranks. In Armenia, military chaplains report to their spiritual leadership in Etchmiadzin and receive salaries from the church, not the state.
In Ukraine, the Council for Pastoral Care under the Ministry of Defense, created to form an institute of military clergy (chaplaincy) in the armed forces, operates on a voluntary basis, and there is a discussion about the prospects of such an institution. Every year, gatherings of Orthodox military priests are held in Sevastopol, at which, in particular, these prospects are discussed. Representatives of all dioceses in Ukraine, as well as representatives of the military leadership of the republic, take part in them.
Prospects
Training centers
In February 2010, Patriarch Kirill announced that the training of military clergy would be carried out in special training centers. The duration of the training course will be three months. Until such centers are operational, the Russian Orthodox Church will allocate 400 candidates for this purpose. In November of the same year, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced that the first such center would most likely open on the basis of one of the Moscow military universities.
A few months earlier, Archpriest Mikhail Vasiliev, deputy chairman of the synodal department of the Moscow Patriarchate for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies, indicated that such a training center would be opened on the basis of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School named after Margelov. He said that in addition to priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, mullahs, lamas and clergy of other faiths will be trained in this center. However, this project was not implemented.
In July 2011, Boris Lukichev informed that military priests would be trained at one of the departmental universities in Moscow, and that the training course would not include spiritual disciplines, but “military fundamentals,” including practical classes with trips to training grounds.
Confessions
In July 2011, Boris Lukichev stated that the introduction of the institution of military priests would not entail any discrimination against military personnel of non-Orthodox faiths: “Discrimination is excluded when Orthodox Christians go to church, and the rest dig from here until lunch.”
Two years earlier, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pointed out the importance of this approach: “When introducing the positions of military and naval clergy... we must be guided by real considerations, real information about the ethno-confessional composition of units and formations.”
At the same time, he proposed the following option for implementing the interfaith principle: “If more than 10% of the personnel, brigade, division, educational institution are representatives of peoples traditionally associated with a particular faith, a clergyman of this faith can be included in the staff of the corresponding unit.”
Anatoly Serdyukov in response assured that the clergy of all major religions will be represented in the corresponding department under the central apparatus of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and departments in military districts and fleets, which will be created in the process of introducing the institution of military and naval priests.
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin believes that the Russian army should contain clergy from all four main confessions of Russia. Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov states: “The interests of representatives of all traditional Russian religions cannot and should not be infringed upon in the army. And I hope this will not happen. We already know how to help a Muslim, a Buddhist, and a Jewish conscript.”
According to the chairman of the Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations of Russia (KEROOR), Rabbi Zinovy Kogan, Orthodox priest if necessary, can provide spiritual support to military personnel of other religions. The representative of the Grand Mufti in Moscow, Rastam Valeev, shares a similar opinion: “I told the Muslim soldiers: if you don’t have a mullah now, go to an Orthodox priest.”
Objections
The idea of an institute of military chaplains also has opponents, who believe that when this institution actually starts working, there will be negative consequences. Thus, Associate Professor of the Department of Social and Cultural Activities of the Military University, Doctor of Historical Sciences Andrei Kuznetsov points out the imperfection of statistics: “In opinion polls, which, like a shield, supporters of the introduction of the institution of military priests hide behind, there is the fact that at the moment 70% of military personnel consider themselves believers... What do you mean believe? Do military personnel consider themselves believers or are they believers? These are different things. You can consider yourself anyone, today an Orthodox Christian, and tomorrow a Buddhist. But faith imposes special responsibilities on a person, including conscious observance of basic instructions and commandments.”
Another problem that skeptics point out is what to do with the remaining 30% of the personnel while believers attend to their religious needs? If supporters of the institution of military chaplains believe that at this time officer-educators will deal with them, then Andrei Kuznetsov, appealing to his many years of experience of service in the Soviet and Russian armies, reproaches them for idealism: “I would venture to assume that in a real situation everything will be happen differently. After all, the army principle is that all personnel must be involved in any event.”
Another argument of opponents is Art. 14 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, declaring Russia a secular state.
Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences Sergei Ivaneev doubts that “a clergyman, the main values of whose religious doctrine is concentrated on the concept of “salvation” or, as it is formulated in science, “deferred reward”,” will be able to help the commander in educational work - after all, it should form a completely different worldview among military personnel. In addition, Ivaneev notes,
Religion elevates faith in God (gods) to the main criterion of attitude towards a person: a co-religionist is ours, a non-religionist is not ours... The tradition developed by religion of feeling elbows only with co-religionists does not at all contribute to the unity of people in uniform.
Finally, citing relevant examples from the history of pre-revolutionary Russia, Andrei Kuznetsov expresses concern that the most important sacraments christian church can be used for the sake of politics.
Opinions
Power
You can invite representatives of various religious denominations to each unit, but will this be of any use? I would not make hasty conclusions... This will entail the problem of integrating religion into the education system of military personnel.
Yuri Baluevsky, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. "Military-Industrial Courier", May 3, 2006.
We studied the experience of world armies, armies where there is an institute of military clergy, and we believe that today there is no “one-time” solution to this issue in our multi-religious country... But what to do in conditions, for example, of a nuclear submarine, where 30% of the personnel are Muslims? This is a very subtle matter.
Nikolai Pankov, Secretary of State - Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia. Newsru.com, May 27, 2008.
Everyone has the right to receive spiritual support in accordance with their views. The constitutional principles of equality, voluntariness, and freedom of conscience must be observed in relation to all military personnel.
There is a decision by the head of state on filling full-time positions for military chaplains. And it will be strictly implemented. But, I repeat, I am not in favor of haste in this matter. Because the issue is extremely delicate. Personnel work is currently underway, close cooperation is being carried out with the Russian Orthodox Church, other religious associations. If you rush, you will ruin the idea itself.
Boris Lukichev, head of the department for work with religious military personnel of the main department for work with personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. "Military-Industrial Courier", July 27, 2011.
Clergy
I consider it obligatory to introduce the institution of regimental priests, since it is necessary to educate our young people. However, the introduction of priests into the staff is a violation of the constitutional separation of state and religion.
Shafig Pshikhachev, I. O. First Deputy Chairman of the Coordination Center for Muslims of the North Caucasus. "Military-Industrial Courier", May 3, 2006.
I am for the Russian army to have chaplains, priests, and pastoral service to be carried out on a permanent basis... This is a worldwide practice, and it is difficult for me to understand why this is not yet the case in Russia.
The priest should be in the barracks next to the military. He must share the hardships of military service, the danger, and be an example not only in words, but also in deeds. In order to realize this potential of the church, an institution of military clergy is needed.
There are priests in the armies of all countries, including those countries that actively teach us about the separation of state and church.
Vsevolod Chaplin, archpriest, head of the synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church for relations between church and society. Newsru.com, July 15, 2009.
The presence of clergy in the army will contribute to the growth of patriotism.
The initiative to introduce regimental priest positions in the army and navy did not come from us. Everything went naturally... We have 100 million Orthodox Christians in the country. Why, when joining the army, do many of them have to “temporarily” “say goodbye” to their faith? Personally, as a priest, I believe that this - the Church and the priest in the army - is generally the main thing! Not just one of the components, but the main thing! It's better not to drink or eat. The temple is a basic necessity.
Dmitry Smirnov, archpriest, head of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for interaction with armed forces and law enforcement agencies. "Military-Industrial Courier", December 23, 2009.
If the church goes to the army, then it will be fair if the army comes to the church. This is when chaplains will be trained from ordinary priests (perhaps in one of combined arms academies), who will become experts in the culture of peoples traditionally belonging to other religions. A Jewish chaplain must know them (these cultures), just like representatives of other religions... Rabbis in the army, I believe, will also appear over time. Today there are about a million Jews from mixed families, and they will also fulfill their military duty. In the meantime, military chaplains, who will be responsible for supervising all believers, must have first-hand knowledge of Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism as religions. I don’t see anything bad if at first the “functions of a rabbi” are performed by priests.
Zinovy Kogan, rabbi, chairman of the Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations of Russia (KEROOR). "Military-Industrial Courier", July 27, 2011.
Experts
The introduction of the institution of military chaplains, who will work directly in the troops, is a positive step... Priests in the troops will help strengthen the morale of soldiers and officers in real combat conditions, as well as in regions with a difficult socio-political situation... However, it should be noted that persons holding atheistic views should not be forced to perform church rituals.
Igor Korotchenko, Chief Editor magazine "National Defense". Newsru.com, July 22, 2009.
The appearance of a clergyman in the unit calms the soldier. Young guys who came from civilian life are more willing to communicate with a priest than with a military psychologist.
Vladimir Khoroshilov, officer of the personnel department of the Separate Special Purpose Division of the Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Infox.ru, November 16, 2009.
Modern Russian society is radically different from what existed before 1917. Therefore, if we are going to take into account the experience of the activities of the structures of the Russian Empire, then we should approach this very carefully and with adjustments for today. I believe that the actualization of the problem of introducing the institution of military priests is caused by the fact that the state, having not developed any more or less coherent ideology over the past two decades, has signed up for complete powerlessness to influence the spiritual and moral world of military personnel. And in order to “plug” this gaping hole, the Russian Orthodox Church is being called upon in an emergency manner... The decision to introduce the institution of clergy into the RF Armed Forces has not been sufficiently worked out and is premature.
Andrey Kuznetsov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Social and Cultural Activities of the Military University. "Military-Industrial Courier", January 20, 2010.
IN modern warfare The 400 priests, whose positions are now being introduced by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense in the troops, are unlikely to radically improve anything.
Leonid Ivashov, vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems. "Military-Industrial Courier", March 3–9, 2010.