Priest: We "muscovites" drafted into AFU as soldiers but not as chaplains

Fr. Ioann Polishchuk. Photo: Dialog.tut

UOC priest Ioann Polishchuk, drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) as a soldier, shared the challenges faced by clergy on the front lines, particularly the ban on chaplaincy for UOC priests, in his Telegram channel Ne-Kapelan ('Not a Chaplain').

"Why can a UOC priest be drafted into the army but not serve as a chaplain?" asked Polishchuk, noting that the lack of an official mandate for chaplaincy does not negate the priestly grace: "Entering the royal doors during ordination is a one-way act. The sacrament has no reverse effect."

Polishchuk also emphasized that UOC priests, even as soldiers, continue their ministry, preaching the Word of God in the most inaccessible and dangerous places.

Why are UOC priests, labeled as "enemies," not allowed to serve as chaplains but are still drafted into the army as soldiers?

"My main question is about the logic - or rather, the lack of it - in banning UOC priests from serving as chaplains," Polishchuk wrote. He added that he is already partially fulfilling chaplaincy duties, even though he is not formally permitted to do so. "If we can't be chaplains because we're considered enemies, then why are we conscripted as soldiers? Do we suddenly stop being enemies?" he asked.

Polishchuk also raised the issue of how changing jurisdictions can suddenly alter attitudes toward a priest. "If a UOC priest transitions to the OCU, does he automatically stop being an enemy? Does simply changing the letters of jurisdiction suddenly make him trustworthy? Logically, trust doesn't work that way," he noted.

He stressed that his reflections are not meant to discredit anyone but are an attempt to understand what is happening: "There are more questions than answers, and every day, the number of questions keeps growing."

"They pave over us, forgetting that we are seeds," he concluded.

Previously, the UOJ wrote about why priests of the canonical Church are not allowed to serve as chaplains on the front lines.

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