DESS decides to grant deferments to clergy sent abroad
Viktor Yelensky. Photo: Radio Liberty
Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has decided to grant draft deferments to clergy assigned abroad by reserving them from mobilization. This was reported on the website irs.in.
Under Order No. N-50/04, the measure applies to clergy of religious organizations recognized as critically important who are on official trips abroad, perform religious rites or preach outside Ukraine, and are registered with a consulate.
The document, which has been registered with the Ministry of Justice, also sets out the procedure for submitting the necessary paperwork for such deferments through religious centers.
It is claimed that this will help ensure ongoing spiritual care for Ukrainian refugees.
As a reminder, DESS did not include UOC clergy on the lists for deferment from mobilization. Viacheslav Horshkov, head of the agency’s department for religious affairs, explained that this was due to the provisions of Law No. 2662-VIII on the renaming of churches whose governing center is located in the aggressor state. According to the official, in order to submit lists for deferment, the UOC must comply with the requirements of that law, which in practice means acknowledging a link with the ROC.
As the UOJ previously reported, DESS discussed the issue of clergy mobilization with UCCRO.
Read also
Serbian Patriarch offers condolences over murder of Sviatohirsk Lavra monk
The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church called Sviatohirsk Lavra a refuge for the displaced and urged that the monk’s violent death not be turned into anyone’s weapon.
“Never seen before”: Israel reports record number of Hasidim in Uman
According to an Israeli police representative, 52,000 pilgrims are currently in Uman – 10,000 more than last year. The city itself has a population of about 75,000.
UOC faithful hold prayer vigil outside Lavra for more than 1,000 days
For three and a half years, Orthodox Christians have continued praying for peace and for the preservation of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
Zelensky congratulates Jews on Rosh Hashanah
Volodymyr Zelensky wished Jews peace and the triumph of good over evil.
Kyiv Theological Academy publishes book on Orthodoxy in 17th-century Ukraine
With the blessing of the UOC Primate, the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary has published a textbook marking the 430th anniversary of the birth of St. Petro Mohyla.
45,000 Hasidic pilgrims arrive in Uman
Around 45,000 Hasidic pilgrims have already arrived in Ukraine for Rosh Hashanah.