Oleksandr Turchynov: Potent, powerful and unbeatable army could only be built on the foundations of spirituality
Chaplain Service should be transferred from volunteer to professional format. This was stated by NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov during his speech at the congress of military chaplains.
"Along with the revival of the army the revival of the chaplain service began as well", - Oleksandr Turchynov said in his speech, adding that besides the modern weapons and equipment, the army should be built on the powerful spiritual foundations. "Really potent, powerful, unbeatable army can only be built on the foundations of spirituality", - he said.
According to NSDC Secretary, today in the Armed Forces and the National Guard more than 200 chaplains are working. "Most of them are being right at the front line - where it is always dangerous and there is a constant threat to life. Where chaplains are, there are always the best military discipline and best military achievements", - he said, stressing that the issue "to transfer chaplain service from volunteer to professional format" has become actual long ago.
According to him the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has initiated the drafting of the law of Ukraine on Chaplain Service.
"I hope that this legislative draft will soon be introduced by the President to Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine", - Oleksandr Turchynov stated, specifying that precisely this law "should not only remove all bureaucratic restrictions on this way, but provide decent social guarantees for the military clergy".
In addition, the NSDC Secretary informed that together with the military authorities they consider the possibility to create a special faculty at one of the military schools "specially for those, who will choose the path of a military chaplain".
"There is a very serious challenge before chaplains in the army today - it is not only a moral and spiritual support of military personnel, but also patriotic education, providing assistance to neutralize stress and post-traumatic syndromes, supporting families of soldiers, who were killed or injured, solving moral and ethical issues and many other tasks, without which a modern disciplined army, ready to defeat the enemy, cannot be created", - Oleksandr Turchynov emphasized.