Military Recruitment Centers discuss whether clergy will be mobilized
Tetiana Kameristova. Photo: Suspilne
Up to 50% of clergy from churches officially registered in Ukraine are expected to be exempted from mobilization under new criteria being developed by the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS). This was reported by Tetiana Kameristova, press secretary of the Rivne Regional Recruitment and Social Support Center, as cited by Suspilne.
“Clergy are ordinary citizens of Ukraine who, if they are male and of eligible age – from 18 to 60 – must update their military registration data in the Reserve+ system. The decision on who will be exempted is not made by us; we are not in charge of the exemptions. This is handled by someone responsible for record-keeping. Just as we have a record-keeper, each diocese also has someone in charge of records. No more than 50% of clergy can be exempted from any given church,” Tetiana Kameristova explained.
The final criteria for exempting clergy from mobilization are still under development, and decisions will be made based on these forthcoming rules.
As previously reported by the UOJ, the head of the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience indicated that exemptions would not apply to clergy of the UOC.
Read also
The Synod of the Romanian Church accepted the resignation of Metropolitan Peter of Bessarabia
The Synod Chancellery announced preparations for the election of a new head of the metropolia and the formation of a list of candidates.
Metropolitan Onuphrius headed the final meeting of the Academic Council of KDAiS
The Primate of the UOC awarded orders to distinguished employees of the KDAiS and wished the teaching staff God's help in their continued service to the Church.
In the Piraeus Metropolitanate, a satanist convention in the USA was called a spiritual deviation
The Church of Greece criticized the popularization of Satanism in the West, characterizing such events as "deification of the human ego."
In India, life imprisonment introduced for desecration of Sikh sacred scripture
Christian communities in Punjab state have declared their inability to protect their rights in courts.
World Council of Churches calls for an end to the war in Ukraine
The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches called on all people of good will to pray and act for the establishment of lasting peace.
In Radivilov, believers of the UOC held a traditional procession for peace
A prayer procession was accompanied by icons with relics of great Orthodox saints.