The institution of army priests in Russia is still far from perfect. First anniversary. Military chaplains about service and service

The Church does not single out a single profession in the same way as military service. The reason is clear: the military, and indeed representatives of law enforcement agencies, give their work not only strength and knowledge, but, if necessary, life itself. Such a sacrifice requires religious reflection.

By the 19th century, the institute of the military clergy had developed in Russia. He united the priesthood, which nourished the army and navy, into an independent church-administrative structure. A few years ago, the state and the Church took a step towards the revival of this institution: full-time military priests again appeared in the army. In St. Petersburg, the work of the Church with the army and navy is coordinated by the department for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies of the St. Petersburg diocese, which in 2015 celebrates its tenth anniversary.

The emergence of spiritual "special forces"

The first written mention of the priesthood in the Russian army refers to the Kazan campaign of John IV (the Terrible) in 1552. A long siege was being prepared, and the king took care of the spiritual support of the soldiers. Liturgy was served in the camp. Many warriors, led by the tsar, took communion and "prepared to proceed clean to the feat of death." Some researchers believe that priests used to accompany the people's militia, but at first they were parish priests. After military campaigns, they returned to their dioceses.

Priests of "special purpose" appear in Russia in the middle of the 17th century, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, when the permanent army that had arisen two centuries earlier began to grow rapidly.

Even more development of the military clergy was promoted by Peter I, who created in Russia a regular army and navy, and with them - regular regimental and naval clergy. During the hostilities, the first was subordinate to the field chief priest appointed in the army (as a rule, from the "white" clergy), the second - to the naval chief hieromonk. However, in peacetime, military priests were under the control of the bishops of the diocese to which the regiment or ship's crew was assigned. Dual subordination was ineffective, and in 1800 Paul I concentrated all the management of the military clergy in the hands of the chief priest of the army and navy. The new position was taken by Archpriest Pavel Ozeretskovsky, whose name is associated with the beginning of the institution of the military clergy.

Military priests passed with honor through all the battles of the 19th century, which abundantly fell to the lot of Russia. By the end of the century, the protracted process of the formation of a spiritual department was also completed. The main power in it again began to belong to one person - the protopresbyter of the army and navy. Further, the vertical of control looked like this: the chief priests of the districts - the chief priests of the armies - divisional, brigade, garrison deans - regimental, hospital and prison priests. As a church administrator, the protopresbyter of the army and navy was comparable in position to a diocesan bishop, but had more rights. The first to occupy this high post was Archpriest Alexander Alekseevich Zhelobovsky.

I serve the Fatherland: Earthly and Heavenly

The most numerous spiritual "detachment" before the revolution was the regimental priesthood. The father in the tsarist army was considered the main educator, he had to inspire the soldiers to be loyal to the tsar and the Fatherland until they were ready to lay down their lives for them, setting an example in this. Russian priests took up arms only in exceptional cases, subsequently bringing church repentance for this. However, history has brought to us a lot of cases when a priest with a cross in his hands led an attack that threatened to choke, or, under bullets, walked next to a timid soldier, supporting his spirit. This was the field of ascetics unknown to the world, devout servants of the faith.

Military priests held services and monitored their attendance (by order of the troops, all personnel were to take communion at least once a year). They buried their dead fellow soldiers, informed their relatives about the death, monitored the state of military cemeteries, which as a result were the most well-groomed. During the battle, the priests at the forward dressing station helped bandage the wounded. In peacetime, they taught the Law of God, conducted spiritual conversations with those who wished, monitored the improvement of churches, organized libraries, parochial schools for illiterate soldiers. In the strict army hierarchy, the position of the regimental priest was equated with the captain. The soldiers were obliged to salute him, but at the same time, the priest remained an accessible and close person for them.

"Military" department of our time

was recreated in 2005 by decree. Historically, it took shape during the 19th century. The first dean known to us today can be called the rector of the square, Archpriest Peter Pesotsky, famous for the fact that he received the last confession from A. S. Pushkin. Father Peter Pesotsky participated in the Patriotic War of 1812 as the dean of the St. Petersburg and Novgorod militias.

Today, the military deanery district includes 17 parishes, 43 churches (of which 15 are affiliated) and 11 chapels at the military and law enforcement institutions of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. To coordinate work with law enforcement agencies, which was previously carried out separately at the level of individual parishes, a special one was created under the St. Petersburg diocese ten years ago. The position of the head of the department for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies and the dean of "military" churches since the foundation of the department has been occupied by Archpriest Alexander - since April 2013, hieromonk Alexy - and since April 2014. In May 2014, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the superior Synodal Department.
The military deanery of the St. Petersburg diocese has 31 churches and 14 chapels, including those being restored and those under design.
The regular clergy - 28 clergy: 23 priests and five deacons. The deanery feeds 11 military universities.

In 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill decided to introduce full-time military clergy into the Armed Forces. In our military district, he became the first full-time army priest - according to the position "assistant for the educational part of the commander of the 95th brigade of the Western Military District." Like the pre-revolutionary pastors, Father Anatoly conducts divine services, talks, and travels with part of the teachings. What is its contingent?

“A unique case is emerging,” Father Anatoly shares his three-year experience of his service and military service. “Many soldiers in the army see a priest for the first time. And little by little they begin to understand that he is the same person. Slowly, they begin to take an interest in matters of faith. Only a few recruits come to church. Leave - much more. Everyone comes with different moods. And I have to set them up for military duty, explain that no one will help us, except ourselves and the Lord God. And the guys understand it.

Pastoral care: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Drug Control

The work of the "military" department of the St. Petersburg diocese is divided into sectors according to the types of law enforcement agencies. The most important thing for everyone is pastoral care. Prayers and divine services (where there are churches), taking the oath in a solemn atmosphere in churches or in the presence of the clergy, the participation of priests in various events, the consecration of weapons, banners, spiritual conversations with leadership, personnel have become a sign of today in many power units and military training establishments.
“We are trying to combine our efforts in the fight against such a terrible disaster as drug addiction,” says the rector of the Trinity-Izmailovsky Cathedral, who works with employees of the State Drug Control Service. - We began to cooperate in 1996 with the tax police, and later, when the State Drug Control Service became its successor, we continued cooperation with it. Recently, in our cathedral, for the first time since the revolution, a new banner of administration was consecrated: solemnly, according to military rank, in the presence of two hundred employees dressed in full dress, with orders and medals.

Cooperation between the Church and the Ministry of Emergency Situations began with a sad occasion.

“In 1991, nine employees died in a fire in the Leningrad Hotel,” says a Colonel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, who has devoted many years to the fire department, about the work of his sector. - Major General Leonid Isachenko, who was then the head of the department, invited a priest and initiated the construction of the temple-chapel of the icon of the Mother of God "The Burning Bush". For eight years we have been holding an hour of spiritual culture under the operational management of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in St. Petersburg. We talk with senior management and personnel, watch films, organize pilgrimage trips.

To date, the department has reached agreements on cooperation between the diocese and the Leningrad naval base, the border department of the FSB of Russia in the Leningrad region, the courier service of the UGFS of Russia in the North-West, the Leningrad Military District, as well as with the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, the North-West Regional Command of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Russian Federation, GUFSIN, All-Russian Police Association, Office of the Federal Drug Control Service.

Military Clergy School

Where do "special purpose priests" come from? Someone accidentally ends up in this place, someone continues the “military” line of his secular life (for example, he graduated from a higher military school before ordination or simply served in the army), and someone specially studies at the “school”. In 2011, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, at the "military" department, on the basis of the Sunday school of the temple-chapel of the icon of the Mother of God "The Burning Bush", the first in Russia "School of military clergy" was opened. In it, cadets-priests are taught the specifics of military service: how to equip a tent for a camp temple during field trips, how to deploy it in the barracks, how and what a priest should do in a combat area. In 2013, the school had its first graduation.

There are also St. Macarius theological and pedagogical courses under the "military" department, to which Orthodox Christians are invited who wish to become catechists - assistants to "military" priests. The training program is designed for a year, graduates of the courses are involved in educational service in various educational institutions and military units of the army and navy.

Priests in "hot spots"

In February-March 2003, even before the formation of the department, Archpriest Alexander Ganzhin was seconded to the Chechen Republic, where he took care of employees of the Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information under the President of the Russian Federation (FAPSI). Since then, every year the clergy of the "military" department make 3-4 business trips to Dagestan, Ingushetia, the Chechen Republic for the pastoral care of the military units located there. One of these "fighting" priests is the rector of the garrison church of the Holy Trinity in Krasnoye Selo. Father Georgiy is a former police captain, in the priestly rank he has been in "hot spots" since the second Chechen war. In Chechnya, not far from Khankala, he had to not only serve the treb and talk with the soldiers about the high, but also bandage the wounded soldiers under bullets.

“Most people need to speak out after the battle, they want human participation, understanding, they want to be pitied,” says Father George. - A priest in such a situation is just salvation. Today, fortunately, hostilities are less and less common, but when they happen, I see that the guys are ready to lay down their lives to save my life. I usually live with them in tents, I put up a temple tent next to it - we hold prayers and christenings in it. I participate in campaigns, during the hostilities, if necessary, I provide medical assistance. A priest can refuse a military campaign, but we, the priests, testify to our faith by our presence there. If a priest becomes cowardly, he will not be condemned, but priests will be judged for the rest of their lives by this deed. We must be an example here too.

Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Kotkov, doctor of pedagogical sciences, professor, author of the books "Military clergy of Russia" and "Military churches and clergy of Russia":

- The feat of military priests is not fully appreciated. The archives of the office of the protopresbyter of the army and navy are located in St. Petersburg. I take many cases and see that no one has looked at them before me. And they contain the colossal experience of the work of the military clergy, which needs to be studied today, when the understanding has arisen again that military power, combined with spiritual height, is an irresistible force.

Youth is our future

In addition to confrontation with physical forces and technical power, there is also a quiet struggle for the minds of future warriors and future citizens. Whoever loses it can lose the future of his country.

“The level of patriotic education in schools has now dropped significantly,” said the deputy chairman of the “military” department. - Shortened hours of Russian history, literature, Russian language. If in pre-revolutionary Russia children studied the Law of God from school, organically absorbed faith from birth, today they join the army not only as non-believers, but they don’t even really know the history of their country. How then can we cultivate the spirit of patriotism?

The program for the spiritual and patriotic education of youth, prepared by the “military” department, helps to fill in the gaps and “win back” the young from social networks and computer “shooters”. Sunday schools are organized in all churches of the military deanery, and military-patriotic clubs are organized in many of them. For example, when teenagers study the course of elementary military training, forgotten today in general education schools.

Large-scale projects for children and youth have become the hallmark of the department. This is a martial arts tournament, included in the competition grid of the Ministry of Defense, dedicated to the memory of the warrior Yevgeny Rodionov, at which the mother of the hero-martyr Lyubov Vasilievna is always present; All-Russian rally of military-patriotic and Cossack youth organizations named after St. Prince Alexander Nevsky, where teams compete in knowledge of history, drill, medical, combat training. Hundreds of participants from all over Russia are also attracted by the Alexander's Flag children's historical forum.

And also the “military” department cooperates with veteran organizations: this is the “Combat Brotherhood”, and associations of former special forces and intelligence servicemen. Veterans are frequent guests of various events and indispensable mentors to young people. The ovation given by the auditorium to the gray-haired war hero and the quiet chime of orders on his chest can explain to girls and boys what patriotism is faster than any words.

Athletes and veterans

Another area of ​​work of the “military” department is cooperation with martial arts clubs. Many people ask why Orthodox priests fight?

“I will answer from my own experience,” says Hieromonk Leonid (Mankov). - I came to the gym when I was nine years old, and the first sport that I became interested in was karate. Then he was engaged in hand-to-hand combat, performed at competitions. And it was very useful to me in the army, in "hot spots".

Military shepherds feed the martial arts clubs "Alexander Nevsky", "Fight Spirit" and the "Union of Mixed Martial Arts MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) of Russia", whose president is the famous athlete Fedor Emelianenko. They are friends with many famous coaches and athletes, regularly attend competitions.

Athletes are also confident in the need for such cooperation:

— A priest can help to cope with many problems within the men's team, — Russian champion in hand-to-hand combat, Russian and European champion in jiu-jitsu, two-time Russian champion and world champion in combat sambo Mikhail Zayats is convinced. - There is a serious struggle going on here, not only external, but also internal. When a martial artist achieves a high result, there is a risk of "star disease", the danger of putting himself above everyone else. Spiritual nourishment helps not to fall into this sin, but to remain, first of all, a person under any circumstances.

Strong-willed

The deeper you dive into the work of the “military” department, the more you realize how grandiose its scope is. It is enough to look at the website of the department or pick up its newspaper "Orthodox Warrior" to understand that the "military" department has not without reason received the title of the most information-open in the diocese. The number of events held is huge, and the scope of those involved in the sphere of cooperation with the department is wide - from youth to veterans, from privates to generals. Fortunately, military priests today rarely have to raise a cross over their heads, pierced by bullets. But modernity has its own challenges. Uniting patriotic-minded people around the idea of ​​serving the Motherland is a lofty mission, voluntarily taken on and worthily carried out today by the military priesthood. In the new television project "Strong in Spirit", the employees of the "military" department decided to talk about military exploits sanctified by the Orthodox faith.

But perhaps just such an epithet - "strong in spirit" - is the best suited for the team of the "military" department, and for those who choose the service of a military shepherd.

The last before the revolution of 1917, the dean of the military clergy of the St. Petersburg diocese was Alexei Andreevich Stavrovsky (from 1892 to 1918), shot in the fall of 1918 in Kronstadt and in 2001 canonized as a new martyr of the Russian Church.

The prospects for the institution of military priests in the Russian army are assessed positively due to the fact that this initiative of the leaders of the largest religious communities in Russia is supported by the Russian authorities and society. The need for military clergy stems from the presence of a significant flock - believing servicemen, including those serving 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 servicemen 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, for example, the "Wild Division".

In pre-revolutionary Russia, the activities of the priests of the army and navy were secured by a special legal status. So, although formally the clergy did not have military ranks, in fact, in the military environment, the deacon was equated with the lieutenant, the priest - with the captain, the rector of the military cathedral or temples, as well as the divisional dean - with the lieutenant colonel, the field chief priest of the army and fleets and the chief priest of the Chief headquarters, guards and grenadier corps - to the major general, and the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy (the highest church position for the army and navy, established in 1890) - to the lieutenant general.

This applied both to the monetary allowance paid from the treasury of the military department, and to privileges: for example, each ship priest was entitled to a separate cabin and boat, he had the right to moor the ship from the starboard side, which, apart from him, was allowed only to flagships, ship commanders and officers , who had the St. George awards. The sailors were obliged to salute him.

the 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 army immediately after the collapse of the USSR, but during the first two decades they did this free of charge and on voluntary basis.

In 1994, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev signed a cooperation agreement - the first official document on relations between the church and the army in the Russian Federation. On the basis of this document, a Coordinating 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 guidance of the Russian army," and in May of the same year, the then President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, also spoke in favor of recreating the institution of military priests.

Modernity

Need

According to Sergey 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, referring to the sociological data of the Russian Ministry of Defense, claims that the proportion 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 Defense Ministry, that two-thirds of Russian servicemen call themselves believers, of which 83% are Orthodox, 8% are Muslims. According to the same portal, as of July 2011, 60% of Russian servicemen considered themselves believers, 80% of them were Orthodox.

According to VTsIOM, in August 2006, the introduction of the institution of military priests or other representatives of the clergy in the Russian army was supported by 53% of Russians. In July 2009, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov estimated the need for military priests in the Russian army and navy at 200-250 people. According to Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, the need is much higher: “In the Israeli army, there is one rabbi for every 100 soldiers. In the USA, there is one chaplain for 500-800 military personnel. With an army of a million people, we need to have about one thousand clergy.”

The chief priest of the Russian Airborne Forces, Priest Mikhail Vasiliev, in 2007 estimated the need for clergy in Russian troops as follows: about 400 Orthodox priests, 30-40 Muslim mullahs, 2-3 Buddhist lamas and 1-2 Jewish rabbis.

Organization

Reconstruction of the institution of the military clergy is an initiative of the leaders of the largest religious communities in Russia, which in July 2009 was supported by the country's President Dmitry Medvedev. On December 1, 2009, the positions of assistant commander of a unit for work with religious military personnel were introduced in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which will be occupied by military priests. They will be classified as civilian personnel of military units, which fully corresponds to Dmitry Medvedev's position.

The importance of this circumstance is also recognized by the clergy. In particular, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for Relations between the Church and Society, Mufti Ismail Berdiev, Chairman of the Coordinating Center for Muslims of the North Caucasus, and Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov speak in support. The latter declared in December 2009: "Shoulder straps 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 in order to have an adequate attitude towards him 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 Russian Defense Ministry, explains, this is the fundamental difference between the Russian system and the situation, for example, in Italy, Poland, and the United States. Chaplains serve in the armies of these countries - priests who have military ranks and are administratively subordinate to the unit commander. Russian military priests will be subordinate to their church leadership, closely interacting 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 are not allowed to take up arms. In fact, they can be considered representatives of the clergy seconded to the army. The position of a military priest is contractual. The contract is concluded between the priest and the commander of the unit, in agreement with the Ministry of Defense. As of July 2011, 240 such positions were introduced. The salary of such an assistant is set at 10,000 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 sums insufficient. So, Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov recalls that the rank and allowance of a regimental priest of the pre-revolutionary army corresponded to the rank of captain, and Archbishop Ignatius of Khabarovsk and Amur region explains: “In order for a priest to fully devote himself to service, he must be provided with decent maintenance. The monetary allowance of military priests, regulated by the Ministry of Defense, is very modest. It will not be enough to support the clergyman and his family. It's impossible to live on that amount. The priest will have to look for earnings on the side. And this will greatly affect his service, and his potential will be greatly reduced.”

At the beginning of 2010, Rossiyskaya Gazeta announced higher figures for the planned salaries of military priests - from 25,000 to 40,000 rubles a 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 headquarters of the unit. In July 2011, the same newspaper cited the example of Andrey Zizo, a military priest serving in South Ossetia and receiving 36,000 rubles a month.

In December 2009, Colonel Igor Sergienko, head of the department of the Main Directorate for Educational Work (GUVR) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, said that a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church could head the department being created for work with believing military personnel, but in October 2010, reserve colonel Boris Lukichev became the head of this department. ; he leads it to this day.

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, however, in July 2011, Boris Lukichev announced that out of 240 such positions, only 6 were occupied so far - at the 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 the candidates are very carefully selected - each one is personally approved by Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

Some representatives of the clergy consider this state of affairs the result of inaction and red tape of the military. Thus, in September 2010, the Religion and Mass Media portal quoted an unnamed "high-ranking representative of the Moscow Patriarchate": "There is a complete sabotage of issues related to the appointment of religious representatives in the army and navy on the part of the military department."

According to the same source, by September 2010, military chaplains should have been formed in the headquarters of the districts 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 Russia lays responsibility for red tape on 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, given by him in December 2009, will take from two to five years.

Special premises for the work of military priests in the territories of military units have not yet been provided, but Patriarch Kirill, speaking in May 2011 to students of the General Staff Academy in Moscow, said that such premises should be allocated. In November 2010, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced 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 RF Armed Forces. This was done without an order and without government funding. In total, at the beginning of 2010, 530 churches operated 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 a positive influence will also be exerted on the morale, because a person who has "the religious experience of life" and is deeply aware that betrayal, evasion of his direct duties and violation of the oath are deadly 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 Russian Defense Ministry, 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 carries a moral aspect to the army, a moral dimension. How was it during the war? The priest was always next to the fighters. And when a soldier was mortally wounded - in the first-aid post, where he saw him off on his last journey, he buried. Then he informed his relatives that their son or father had died for the Tsar, the Fatherland and faith, and had been committed to the earth in accordance with Christian customs. It's hard but necessary work."

And Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov believes this: “We want every serviceman to understand what the Christian attitude to life, service, and comrade is. So that there are no suicides, escapes, crossbows in the army. And most importantly - to convey to a person in uniform, for what and in the name of what one must be ready to give one's 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 the military clergy was absent only in the three major 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 solved differently in neighboring countries. For example, in Moldova, military priests are appointed by official decrees and given military ranks. In Armenia, military chaplains report to their spiritual leadership in Etchmiadzin and are paid by the church, not the state.

In Ukraine, the Council for Pastoral Care under the Ministry of Defense, created to form the institution of the military clergy (chaplaincy) in the armed forces, operates on a voluntary basis, and there is a discussion about the prospects for such an institution. Annual gatherings of Orthodox military priests are held in Sevastopol, at which, in particular, these prospects are discussed. They are attended by representatives of all dioceses in Ukraine, as well as representatives of the military leadership of the republic.

prospects

Training Centers

In February 2010, Patriarch Kirill announced that the military clergy would be trained in special training centers. The duration of the training course will be three months. Until such centers are operational, the ROC 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 Moscow's military universities.

A few months earlier, Archpriest Mikhail Vasiliev, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Cooperation 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 the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, mullahs, lamas and clergymen 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 in one of the departmental universities in Moscow, and that the training course would include not spiritual disciplines, but "military basics", including practical exercises 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 confessions: "Discrimination is excluded when the Orthodox 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 variant of the implementation of the interfaith principle: “If more than 10% of the personnel, brigade, division, educational institution are representatives of peoples traditionally associated with a particular confession, a clergyman of this confession can be included in the staff of the corresponding unit.”

Anatoly Serdyukov, in response, assured that the clergy of all major religions would be represented in the relevant department at 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 have clergy from all four major confessions in Russia. Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov declares: “The interests of representatives of all religions traditional for Russia cannot and should not be infringed upon in the army. And I hope it won't. We already know how to help a Muslim, a Buddhist, and a Jewish young conscript.”

According to the chairman of the Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations of Russia (KEROOR), Rabbi Zinovy ​​Kogan, an Orthodox priest, if necessary, can provide spiritual support to servicemen of other faiths. The representative of the supreme mufti in Moscow, Rastam Valeev, also holds a similar opinion: “I told the Muslim soldiers: you don’t have a mullah now - go to an Orthodox priest.”

objections

The idea of ​​the institution of military priests also has opponents, who believe that when this institution actually works, negative consequences will also be felt. Thus, Andrey Kuznetsov, Associate Professor of the Department of Socio-Cultural Activities of the Military University, Doctor of Historical Sciences, points out the imperfection of the statistics: believers ... What does it mean to believe? Do military personnel consider themselves believers or are they believers? These are different things. You can consider yourself anyone, and today Orthodox, and tomorrow Buddhist. But faith imposes special duties on a person, including the conscious observance of the basic prescriptions and commandments.

Another problem that skeptics pay attention to is what to do with the remaining 30% of the personnel while the believers send their religious needs? If supporters of the institution of military chaplains believe that at that time educator officers will deal with them, then Andrey Kuznetsov, referring to his many years of experience in serving in the Soviet and Russian armies, reproaches them with idealism: “I would venture to suggest that in a real situation everything will be happen differently. After all, the army principle is that all personnel should be involved in any event.

Another argument of the opponents is Art. 14 of the constitution of the Russian Federation, proclaiming Russia a secular state.

PhD in Law, Associate Professor of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences Sergey Ivaneev doubts that "a clergyman whose main values ​​of religious doctrine are concentrated on the concept of" salvation "or, as it is formulated in science," deferred gratification ", will be able to 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-believer is not ours ... The tradition developed by religion of feeling the elbow 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, Andrey Kuznetsov expresses his fear that the most important sacraments of the Christian church can be used to please politics.

Opinions

Power

It is possible to offer representatives of various religious denominations to each division, but will this be of any use? I would not draw hasty conclusions... This will entail the problem of integrating religion into the system of education 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 institution of military clergy, and we believe that today there is no “one-time” solution to this issue in our multi-confessional country ... But what about conditions, for example, a nuclear submarine, where 30% of the personnel are Muslims? It is very thin 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 beliefs. The constitutional principles of equality, voluntariness, freedom of conscience must also be observed in relation to all servicemen.

There is a decision of the head of state on staffing positions of military priests. And it will be strictly implemented. But, I repeat, I am not a supporter of haste in this matter. Because the issue is extremely delicate. Personnel work is now underway, close cooperation is being carried out with the Russian Orthodox Church and other religious associations. Hurry - you will ruin the idea itself.

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. "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 state is a violation of the constitutional separation of state and religion.

Shafig Pshikhachev, I. O. First Deputy Chairman of the Coordinating Center for Muslims of the North Caucasus. "Military-Industrial Courier", May 3, 2006.

I am in favor of having chaplains and priests in the Russian army, pastoral service is carried out on a permanent basis… This is a global practice, and it is difficult for me to understand why there is nothing like this in Russia yet.

The priest should be in the barracks next to the military. He must share the hardships of military service, the danger, be an example not only in words, but also in deeds. Here, in order to realize this potential of the church, the institution of the military clergy is needed.

There are priests in the armies of all countries, including those countries that actively teach us about the separation of the state from the church.

Vsevolod Chaplin, archpriest, head of the synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church for relations between the church and society. Newsru.com, July 15, 2009.

The presence of clerics in the army will contribute to the growth of patriotism.

The initiative to introduce the positions of regimental priests in the army and navy did not come from us. Everything went naturally... We have 100 million Orthodox in the country. Why, going into the army, many of them "for a while" have to "say goodbye" to their faith? Personally, as a priest, I think that this is the Church and the priest in the army - the main thing in general! Not one of the components, but the main thing! Better not to drink, not to eat. The temple is the first necessity.

Dmitry Smirnov, archpriest, head of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for cooperation with the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. "Military-industrial courier", December 23, 2009.

If the church goes to the army, it will be fair if the army comes to the church. This is when ordinary priests will be trained as chaplains (perhaps in one of the combined arms academies), who will become connoisseurs of the culture of peoples traditionally belonging to other religions. The Jewish chaplain should know them (these cultures), as well as representatives of other religions... Rabbis in the army, I believe, will eventually appear as well. Today there are about a million Jews from mixed families, and they will also fulfill their military duty. In the meantime, military priests, who will be responsible for curating all believers, should first-hand experience Judaism, Islam, Buddhism as religions. I don't see anything wrong if, at first, the "functions of a rabbi" will be 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 institute of military priests who will work directly in the troops is a positive step... Priests in the troops will help to strengthen the morale of soldiers and officers in real combat operations, as well as in regions with a difficult socio-political situation... At the same time, it should be noted that persons holding atheistic views should not be forced to perform church rites.

Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine. Newsru.com, July 22, 2009.

The appearance of a clergyman in the unit reassures the serviceman. Young guys who came from civilians are more willing to communicate with a priest than with a military psychologist.

Vladimir Khoroshilov, officer of the department for work with personnel of the Separate Special Purpose Division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Infox.ru, November 16, 2009.

Modern Russian society is fundamentally different from the one that existed before 1917. Therefore, if we are going to adopt the experience of the activities of the structures of the Russian Empire, then we should approach this very carefully and with an amendment for today. I believe that the actualization of the problem of introducing the institution of military priests is due to the fact that the state, having not developed any more or less intelligible ideology over the past two decades, signed in complete impotence to influence the spiritual and moral world of military personnel. And in order to “plug up” this gaping hole, the Russian Orthodox Church is called in by fire… The decision to introduce the institute of clergy in the RF Armed Forces has not been worked out enough 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 a modern war, 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.

Who are military priests? In what "hot spots" do they serve and how do they live? Archpriest Sergiy Privalov, chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces, spoke about the role military clergy play in conflict points and how they help soldiers in the "Image" program in Tsargrad.

What is the peculiarity of military priests

Veronika Ivashchenko: To begin with, let me ask you: what is the role of the clergy today in the Russian armed forces?

Sergiy Privalov: The role has always been high. This role is to bring a spiritual component to the service to the Fatherland.

At present, a military priest - he, on the one hand, is the same priest as in the parish. But it has one, perhaps the most fundamental difference. He is ready to be with the military. He is ready to be with those who defend our Fatherland, our Motherland, our original traditions, our spiritual life. And in this case, the clergyman becomes not only among those who defend with weapons. But he brings a spiritual meaning to this armed defense.

Extra strength.

Not only additional spiritual strength, but, on the other hand, a moral component. Because a clergyman is a person who has a calling from God. He brings into the military formation the humanization and understanding of the service to which the servicemen are called. People with weapons - for them it is a responsible obedience. And the use of this most perfect weapon today should be in clean hands, with a moral tuning fork in the soul of every person. And this, first of all, is characteristic of what the clergyman brings to the troops.

Orthodox priests in Syria

Father Sergiy, now our servicemen are participating in the fighting in Syria. Tell me, in some way, in these difficult conditions, they are spiritually nourished by Orthodox priests?

Yes. Services are held almost daily. At the air base in Khmeimim, a full-time military chaplain is present along with military personnel. Moreover, on major holidays, great holidays, the Russian Orthodox Church sends additional clergy and choristers to participate in divine services not only at the Khmeimim air base, but also at the Tartus naval base.

Just recently, in Khmeimim, an Orthodox chapel was consecrated in honor of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. And the temple in Tartus, in honor of the holy righteous warrior Fyodor Ushakov, should soon be consecrated. Here are the Bishops, both from Tartu and the Bishop who covers the Patriarchate of Antioch with an omophorion and, in particular, the air base in Khmeimim, blessed the construction of Orthodox church clergy. And just recently, they took part with Bishop Anthony Akhtubinsky and Enotaevsky in the consecration of this chapel. The entire staff was present at the consecration.

Therefore, the priests are nearby. Priests are inside military formations, they are together with military personnel, even in these so-called "hot spots".

Our main weapon is prayer

Father Sergius, recently His Holiness Patriarch Kirill spoke about the ideal of a Christ-loving army, citing the war in the Middle East as an example. Is it really impossible to fight against that most terrible enemy only with the help of weapons?

Certainly. Therefore, the Russian Orthodox Church also prays. Our most important weapon is prayer. And the more followers of the Christian faith there are in the world, the purer, the more spiritual, the more peaceful humanity will become.

Therefore, the religion of love, Christianity is such a potential that people should resort to. They should also compare other religions, and, first of all, those people who reject religion altogether and want to be so-called. atheists. Or those who choose the path of pseudo-religion, terrorism. In this case, Christianity reveals the meaning and the basis to which one must resort in order to win in the spiritual battle. In this case, prayer should be the natural state of the soul of an Orthodox warrior.

And, perhaps, that is why the demand for military priests is growing so much?

Certainly, and especially in "hot spots". When people feel that not only the force of arms is needed. You need confidence in your actions. You need confidence in the rightness of your ministry. Inside the military unit, formations. And most importantly, when people turn to Christ, they receive this help. Many people put on Orthodox crosses for the first time. Many are baptized. Many come to confession and Holy Communion for the first time. This is, in fact, a joyful event for the clergy.

Now there are about 170 full-time military chaplains

And tell me, how many military priests are there now?

There are about 170 military clergy today. These are the ones that are assigned. And more than 500 in various capacities, we call them freelance military clergy, serve in military units. Periodically coming, performing divine services, nourishing the flock.

And tell me, can they be called chaplains, is that right?

Well, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the word "chaplain" is more associated with Catholicism or Protestantism. And in our everyday life they are sometimes called chaplains. Which, perhaps, is not entirely correct, but there is such a tendency to call military clergy the same as they are called in a unified way in the West. But I think that every military clergyman, of course, does not change his spiritual inner content from this.

Please tell us what are the requirements for their selection? Do they participate in military exercises together with ordinary military personnel?

First, the selection is quite tough. First of all, it concerns spiritual education. That is, we select those clergy who have a sufficiently high level of both spiritual and secular education. The second criterion is the skills of working in a military environment. That is, they must have experience in pastoral service, in the care of military formations. And third, of course, health. That is, a person must be ready for this service, he himself must express a desire to pass the appropriate selection through the Ministry of Defense, in personnel bodies. And only after that, and on the recommendation of the ruling bishop of his diocese, is he considered by the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces. And this decision is approved by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

By the way, what are the most pressing issues in your department right now?

I would not say that some issues are especially acute and we are not able to solve them. That is, everything that is happening today is a solvable problem.

Of course, one of these problems is the staffing of military clergy. We have 268 full-time positions, but 170 have been appointed so far. Therefore, in the far regions, in the north, the Far East, full-time positions of military clergy are not yet fully staffed. And then an appropriate basis for spiritual enlightenment should be formed. That is, we really want the priest to be heard, that the appropriate time and place be allocated where the priest would talk about Christ, about the spiritual foundations of military service to the Fatherland. For this, we still need to go through a lot in the military environment, to ensure that we are understood, heard and given us such an opportunity. Not only, as some say, with each soldier individually, but also with large units at the same time.

From officers to military priests

Father Sergius, many military priests were officers in the past, including you, right?

Right.

Tell me, please, how often does it happen that it is the military who become priests?

Well, firstly, a person who himself has known Christ, he can no longer stop talking about him. If a person was previously in an officer's position, then he understands that the next stage of his service is to carry the word of God already in the holy dignity. But, again, among those whom he knows best and is best oriented in a particular situation within military units.

And therefore, the percentage of those who were previously officers, or have completed military service, perhaps as contract soldiers, is quite high. But this is not the only and correct criterion for the selection of military priests. Because there are military clergy who have never even served in the army.

But at the same time, they are so close in spirit and love to the military units and to those guys who serve in the troops that they have gained such authority. They really became fathers for these military guys. Therefore, here you need to look at the spiritual calling. And the Lord calls. And if so, then a person cannot but serve his neighbor. And who needs it the most? Of course, the military. Because for them Christ is protection. For them, Christ is their support. For them, the Savior is the goal of life. Because it is precisely when they are inside in such difficult conditions that they turn to God sincerely. And in this case, the priest should be nearby. He must support the guys with his prayer, and, first of all, spiritually instruct.

There are more and more believers among the military

And how do priests influence the relationship between military personnel? Maybe the situation with hazing has changed, do they affect moral development?

Probably, after all, the most important thing is that the attitude of a person to society, to the world, to himself and to religion, in principle, has changed. That is, the number of believers who consciously say that they are Orthodox, you said about 78%, now the percentage is even higher, more than 79%.

And most importantly, the guys, the military, are not afraid to confess their faith. They are consciously baptized, go to churches, participate in divine services. This is probably the most important thing that happened with the arrival or participation of clergy in military units.

The second is the change in the internal climate within the military units. Military discipline has changed, or even improved. I think that in many ways these questions, of course, are not only for priests, and it is their merit that hazing is coming to naught. Firstly, these are very correct and competent decisions of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Kuzhegetovich Shoigu. And hazing itself, which involves a two-year conscription, when one in relation to the other military personnel are older and younger - this artificial division led to conflicts.

Now this is not. All serve only one year. This time. And secondly, the tasks that the armed forces solve have become, first of all, combat. People are preparing for war. And as a poet, they try to treat their service accordingly. Teachings, transfers, regroupings.

All this suggests that there is no time to engage in some kind of hazing relationship. It is clear that anything can happen. But the attitude of man to man within the military collective is changing for the better. Because they are doing their duty now. Sometimes in isolation from their native land. And very often with the participation of the most serious events that require concentration, the brotherly shoulder of his colleague. All this, well, in combination, of course, improves the situation inside the military units. And the priests are always near.+

That is, during field exercises, they go out together with the military, put up their tents, temples, tents, and try to pray with them. That is, this is, in fact, the real combat work of a military clergyman.

Believers call Easter the celebration of all celebrations. For them, the Resurrection of Christ is the main holiday of the Orthodox calendar. For the sixth time in a row in its modern Russian army celebrates Easter, overshadowed by military priests who appeared in units and formations after a ninety-year break.

At the origins of tradition

The idea to revive the institution of military priests in the Russian army arose among the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) back in the mid-nineties. It did not receive much development, but secular leaders generally positively assessed the initiative of the ROC. The benevolent attitude of society towards church rites and the fact that after the liquidation of the state of political workers, the education of personnel lost its intelligible ideological core, had an effect. The post-communist elite was never able to formulate a bright new national idea. Her search has led many to a long-familiar religious outlook on life.

The initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church bogged down mainly because there was no main thing in this story - the actual military priests. The priest of an ordinary parish was not very suitable for the role, for example, of the confessor of desperate paratroopers. There should be a man of their environment, respected not only for the wisdom of the religious sacrament, but also for military prowess, including, at least, for the obvious readiness for a feat of arms.

This was the military priest Cyprian-Peresvet. He himself formulated his biography as follows: first he was a warrior, then a cripple, then he became a priest, then a military priest. However, Cyprian has been counting his life only since 1991, when he took monastic vows in Suzdal. Three years later he was ordained a priest. The Siberian Cossacks, reviving the familiar Yenisei district, elected Cyprian as a military priest. The history of this divine ascetic deserves a separate detailed story. He went through both Chechen wars, was a prisoner of Khattab, stood at the execution line, survived after being wounded. It was in Chechnya that the soldiers of the Sofrino brigade called Cyprian Peresvet for courage and military patience. He also had his own call sign "YAK-15" so that the fighters knew: the priest was next to them. Supports them with soul and prayer. Chechen comrades-in-arms called Cyprian-Peresvet their Brother, the Sofrins called Batey.

After the war, in June 2005, in St. Petersburg, Cyprian will take the tonsure to the Great Schema, becoming the elder Schema Isaac, but in the memory of Russian soldiers he will remain the first military priest of the new time.

And before him - a large and fertile history of the Russian military clergy. For me and, probably, for the Sofrians, it begins in 1380, when the Monk Sergius, abbot of the Russian land and the Wonderworker of Radonezh, blessed Prince Dmitry for the battle for the liberation of Russia from the Tatar yoke. He gave him his monks to help him - Rodion Oslyabya and Alexander Peresvet. This Peresvet will then enter the Kulikovo field for a duel with the Tatar hero Chelubey. With their deadly fight, the battle will begin. The Russian army will defeat the horde of Mamai. People will associate this victory with the blessing of St. Sergius. The monk Peresvet, who fell in single combat, will be canonized as a saint. And we will call the day of the Battle of Kulikovo - September 21 (September 8 according to the Julian calendar) the Day of Russia's military glory.

There are more than six centuries between two Peresvets. This time contained a lot - the laborious service to God and the Fatherland, pastoral deeds, grandiose battles and great upheavals.

According to military regulations

Like everything else in the Russian army, military spiritual ministry first acquired its organizational structure in the Military Regulations of Peter I of 1716. The reforming emperor considered it necessary to have a priest in every regiment, on every ship. The naval clergy were mainly represented by hieromonks. They were headed by the chief hieromonk of the fleet. The clergy of the ground forces were subordinate to the field chief priest of the army in the field, and in peacetime - to the bishop of the diocese on whose territory the regiment was stationed.

By the end of the century, Catherine II placed a single chief priest of the army and navy at the head of the military and naval clergy. He was autonomous from the Synod, had the right to report directly to the empress and the right to communicate directly with the diocesan hierarchs. A regular salary was established for the military clergy. After twenty years of service, the priest received a pension.

The structure received a military finished look and logical subordination, but was corrected for another century. So, in June 1890, Emperor Alexander III approved the Regulations on the management of churches and the clergy of the military and naval departments. Established the title of "protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy." All the churches of regiments, fortresses, military hospitals and educational institutions were assigned to his jurisdiction (except for Siberia, in which "because of the distance" the military clergy were subordinate to diocesan bishops.)

The economy turned out to be solid. The department of the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy included 12 cathedrals, 3 house churches, 806 regimental, 12 serfs, 24 hospitals, 10 prison, 6 port churches, 34 churches at various institutions (407 churches in total), 106 archpriests, 337 priests, 2 protodeacon, 55 deacons, 68 psalmists (569 clerics in total). The office of the protopresbyter published its own magazine - "Bulletin of the Military Clergy".

The highest position determined the service rights of the military clergy and salaries. The chief priest (protopresbyter) was equated with a lieutenant general, the chief priest of the General Staff, the guards or grenadier corps - with a major general, the archpriest - with a colonel, the rector of a military cathedral or temple, and also the divisional dean - with a lieutenant colonel. The regimental priest (equal to the captain) received an almost complete captain's ration: a salary in the amount of 366 rubles per year, the same number of canteens, bonuses were provided for long service, reaching (for 20 years of service) up to half of the established salary. Equal military salaries were observed for all spiritual ranks.

Dry statistics give only a general idea of ​​the priesthood in the Russian army. Life brings its own bright colors to this picture. Between the two Peresvets there were wars, heavy battles. There were also their heroes. Here is the priest Vasily Vasilkovsky. His feat will be described in the order for the Russian army No. 53 dated March 12, 1813, the commander-in-chief M.I. Kutuzov: with courage he encouraged the lower ranks to fight without horror for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, and he was severely wounded in the head by a bullet. In the battle of Vitebsk, he showed the same courage, where he received a bullet wound in the leg. I presented the Sovereign Emperor with the chief certificate of such excellent deeds undaunted in battles and zealous service of Vasilkovsky, and His Majesty deigned to award him the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George 4th class.

This was the first time in history that a military priest was awarded the Order of St. George. Father Vasily will be awarded the order on March 17, 1813. In the autumn of the same year (November 24) he died in a foreign campaign from his wounds. Vasily Vasilkovsky was only 35 years old.

Let's jump a century into another great war - the First World War. Here is what the famous Russian military leader, General A.A., wrote about that time. Brusilov: “In those terrible counterattacks, black figures flashed among the soldiers’ tunics - regimental priests, tucking up their cassocks, walked with the soldiers in coarse boots, encouraging the timid with a simple gospel word and behavior ... They remained there forever, on the fields of Galicia, not being separated from the flock.

For the heroism shown during the First World War, about 2,500 military priests will be awarded state awards and 227 gold pectoral crosses on the St. George ribbon. The Order of St. George will be awarded to 11 people (four - posthumously).

The institute of military and naval clergy in the Russian army was liquidated by order of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs on January 16, 1918. 3,700 priests will be fired from the army. Many are then repressed as class alien elements...

Crosses on buttonholes

The efforts of the Church yielded results by the end of the 2000s. Sociological surveys initiated by priests in 2008-2009 showed that the number of believers in the army reaches 70 percent of the personnel. The then President of Russia D.A. Medvedev was informed about this. With his instructions to the military department, a new time of spiritual service in the Russian army begins. The President signed this order on July 21, 2009. He ordered the Minister of Defense to take the necessary decisions aimed at introducing the institution of the military clergy into the Russian Armed Forces.

Fulfilling the order of the president, the military will not copy the structures that existed in the tsarist army. They will begin with the fact that within the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for work with personnel, they will create a Directorate for work with religious servicemen. Its staff will include 242 positions of assistant commanders (chiefs) for work with religious servicemen, replaced by clergymen of Russia's traditional religious associations. This will happen in January 2010.

For five years, it was not possible to fill all the proposed vacancies. Religious organizations even presented their candidates to the Department of Defense in abundance. But the bar of military requirements was high. For work in the troops on a full-time basis, they have so far accepted only 132 clergy - 129 Orthodox, two Muslims and one Buddhist. (By the way, the army of the Russian Empire was also attentive to believers of all denominations. Several hundred chaplains guarded Catholic military personnel. Mullahs served in national-territorial formations, such as the Wild Division. Jews were allowed to attend territorial synagogues.)

High demands on the priesthood, probably, matured from the best examples of spiritual shepherding in the Russian army. Maybe even the ones I remember today. At least the priests are being prepared for serious trials. Their cassocks will no longer unmask the priests, as happened in the battle formations of the unforgettable Brusilov breakthrough. The Ministry of Defense, together with the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies, developed the “Rules for the Military Clergy to Wear Uniforms.” They were approved by Patriarch Kirill.

According to the rules, military priests "when organizing work with religious servicemen in the context of military operations, during a state of emergency, liquidation of accidents, natural hazards, catastrophes, natural and other disasters, during exercises, classes, combat duty (combat service)" will wear not church vestments, but field military uniforms. Unlike the uniform of military personnel, it does not provide for epaulettes, sleeves and breastplates of the corresponding type of troops. Only the buttonholes will decorate the Orthodox crosses of dark color of the established pattern. When performing divine services in the field, the priest must put on an epitrachelion, handrails and a priestly cross over the uniform.

The base of spiritual work in the army and navy is also being seriously updated. Today, more than 160 Orthodox churches and chapels operate in the territories subordinate to the Ministry of Defense alone. Military temples are being built in Severomorsk and Gadzhiyevo (Northern Fleet), at the air base in Kant (Kyrgyzstan), and in other garrisons. The Church of the Holy Archangel Michael in Sevastopol, the building of which was previously used as a branch of the Black Sea Fleet Museum, has again become a military one. Minister of Defense S.K. Shoigu decided to allocate rooms for prayer rooms in all formations and on ships of the 1st rank.

...A new history is being written in the military spiritual ministry. What will she be? Definitely worthy! This is due to the traditions that have developed over the centuries, melted into a national character - the heroism, stamina and courage of Russian soldiers, the diligence, patience and selflessness of military priests. In the meantime, in military temples, the great Easter holiday, and the collective communion of soldiers - as a new step in readiness to serve the Fatherland, Peace and God.

Three years have passed since the publication of the presidential decision to introduce the institution of the military clergy in the Russian Armed Forces. In the reformed army, 242 posts were introduced for clergy. However, it was not possible to fill all the regular "cells" during this time. Today, 21 Orthodox priests and one imam work in the army on a permanent basis. Twenty-two people appointed to the post became a kind of trailblazers. With daily work, through trial and error, success and failure, they are building a fundamentally new model for the work of a priest in the Armed Forces. It is still difficult to judge how successfully this is happening.

The interaction of the Church and the army in post-Soviet Russia has been going on for more than fifteen years, but until recently, people in cassocks were perceived by military personnel more as guests. They came to the unit on the occasion of taking the oath, anniversaries, commemorative events... Priests worked on sheer enthusiasm, and their activities in military units were regulated by agreements signed by the Russian Orthodox Church with the branches and types of troops and containing very vague wording.

Now the situation has changed radically. Overnight, the priest turned into an assistant commander for work with believing military personnel, who is constantly nearby and participates in the daily life of a military unit.

It is natural, therefore, that after almost a century-long rupture between the Church and the army, today's reality inevitably brings to life previously unknown questions and problems. Let's consider the main ones.

Functional responsibilities. Today, the status and duties of a clergyman in the army are mainly regulated by three documents. These are "Regulations on the organization of work with believers in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation", "Basics of the concept of work with religious servicemen in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation" and "Typical functional duties". They talk about the tasks and forms of interaction between the priest and soldiers and officers, and also give general strategic directions for organizing the activities of bodies for working with believing military personnel in peacetime and wartime. There is no detailed description of what exactly and at what time a military shepherd should do. To develop such instructions is the task of today, the Ministry of Defense recognizes. “Today, we need a normative act that would spell out the moments related to the organization of the daily activities of a clergyman in the army,” says Boris Lukichev, head of the department for working with religious servicemen of the Russian Defense Ministry. “In addition, due to the fact that people of different religions, it is necessary to prescribe how a priest should work in this situation, what he should do in military conditions, in the course of combat training. Such rule-making work is now underway, but a lot of factors need to be taken into account." There are really many factors. Starting from the place of the priest during tactical exercises to the question of the time of the Sunday Liturgy. After all, Sunday is only formally considered a free day. In fact, it is maximally saturated with various sports and cultural events - competitions, movie screenings, additional physical training, etc., which begin in the early morning and last almost until lights out. What should a priest do in this situation? Serve the Liturgy for all who wish to rise? Should the service be included in the general plan of events, indicating the exact time and number of military personnel? Replace the Liturgy with a late evening or spiritual conversation? And this is just one example in a long line of perplexities that arise today in the work of a military priest.

In addition to everything, the regulation of the activities of a clergyman in the army is complicated by the impossibility of creating a certain common template for all types and branches of the military. Duty with missilemen, watch with sailors, long field trips in infantry units - all this imposes its own specifics on the life of a military team, of which the priest is a part. Therefore, even if the normative document that the Ministry of Defense is talking about appears, a priest will still have to invent and decide a lot on his own.

Qualification requirements. At the moment, the qualification requirements for candidates for the position of assistants for working with religious servicemen are extremely simple. The candidate must be a citizen of the Russian Federation, not have dual citizenship and a criminal record, and, conversely, have a level of education not lower than secondary, a recommendation from a religious association, a positive conclusion from a medical commission, and at least five years of experience in the relevant religious association. Today, this list is updated and supplemented. The final document in this area has not yet been developed. However, it seems that far from everyone in the leadership of the Ministry of Defense imagines even the simple criteria that a military priest must meet. Relatively recently, the media circled the statement of a high-ranking official of the military department, who wished to remain anonymous. In particular, he lamented that the lack of priests in the army is due to the fact that not all candidates proposed by religious organizations meet the requirements for the army. At the same time, the requirements listed by the official give reason to doubt either his competence or the sincerity of the statement itself. According to the source, before taking office, a military priest must serve in the army for at least five years and have good physical fitness, which is not confirmed by any of the existing regulations. I must say that in the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Institutions, the words of an anonymous person from the Ministry of Defense were perceived with bewilderment. According to the head of the department, Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, the list of 14 candidates for the positions of assistant commanders for work with religious servicemen who meet all the requirements (moreover, many of the candidates have senior officer ranks and are familiar with army service firsthand) has been on the list for more than six months. approval from the Department of Defense. In addition, another 113 clergy have been trained in the Synodal Department, whose cases have been awaiting consideration by the leadership of the military department for a long time.

Performance criterion. The question of how and in accordance with what considerations to evaluate the results of the work of a military priest is also awaiting a decision. What indicator can become a criterion of effectiveness? Reducing the number of crimes in the military environment? Reducing the scale of hazing? Increasing employee motivation? But all these tasks are also within the competence of educator officers. And it is a priori impossible and absurd to calculate that, for example, the contribution of a priest to overcoming a certain social problem amounted to 60%, and the educational work bodies 40%. So far, the point of view is being expressed that one of the criteria could be specific reviews of commanders about this or that priest. But in this case, the subjective factor begins to play the main role in evaluating the work of a priest. Let's imagine that the commander is a militant atheist who can't stand the presence of a part of the religious component in his life. Then, even if the priest "burns" in the service, the commander's review is unlikely to be positive.

Objects of religious purpose on the territory of the Ministry of Defense. Over the past time, hundreds of Orthodox churches and chapels have been built on the territory of military units using borrowed funds. In fact, these are buildings under the jurisdiction of the Department of Property Relations of the Ministry of Defense. On the other hand, all buildings of worship are objects of religious purpose and, in accordance with a recently adopted law, can be transferred to the Church, for which the latter must itself make a request for their transfer. Six months ago, the Ministry of Defense sent a corresponding letter to the Patriarchate, signed by the minister, with a list of temples attached to it. According to Boris Lukichev, the submitted list has already been sent to the dioceses for feedback to the ruling bishops. “But the diocesan bishops are thorough and solid people, they work carefully, so half a year has passed, but there is no answer. And without him, we cannot take any action,” he says. In addition, the issue of transfer is further complicated by the fact that a number of temples do not have proper documentation, so their property status has not been fully determined. Here we can also mention the problem of providing military churches with church utensils and items necessary for worship. Since there is no corresponding column in the expenditure items of the Ministry of Defense, the local diocese or the priest personally takes on the material burden of acquiring vestments, candles, wine, bread.

These are the main, but by no means all, problems associated with the formation of the institution of the military clergy in the Russian army. This also includes the procedure for professional retraining of military priests, issues related to the material allowance of a clergyman, the peculiarities of his status, etc. The existing issues must be resolved and, I am sure, will sooner or later be removed from the agenda. The established military clergy are experiencing growing pains today. In the current situation, the main thing is that all interested parties - both the Ministry of Defense and religious associations - fully realize the importance and relevance of the new military-church structure. And together, cooperating, not conflicting, they moved towards a common goal - a strong army with both powerful combat potential and strong spiritual traditions.

Evgeny Murzin

Who can become a military priest

General requirements for officials working with religious servicemen:

* Officials working with religious military personnel must be professionally trained specialists, have the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively plan, organize and carry out work to strengthen the spiritual and moral foundations of military personnel.

* The following requirements are imposed on officials working with religious servicemen:

must be a citizen of the Russian Federation;

do not have dual citizenship;

not have a criminal record;

have a level of public education not lower than secondary (complete) general education;

have a positive conclusion of the medical commission on the state of health.

* When appointed to a leadership position, officials working with religious military personnel must have at least five years of experience in serving in the relevant religious association.

* Persons appointed to the relevant positions must undergo special training in military service in the manner and under the conditions established by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.