Priest cannot bear arms, he is useless at front, UOC cleric says

Archpriest Dimitry Stetsko. Photo: Khmelnytskyi Eparchy

The Secretary of the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy of the UOC, Archpriest Dimitry Stetsko, stated the impossibility of clergy participating in combat operations with weapons in hand, reminding in an interview with "Channel 33" of the church canons that strictly prohibit clerics from military service.

According to the clergyman, canonical rules impose an absolute prohibition on the shedding of blood. In particular, the 83rd Apostolic Canon prescribes deposition from holy orders for a bishop, presbyter, or deacon for combining ecclesiastical ministry with a military position. Also, the seventh canon of the Fourth Ecumenical Council threatens anathema to clerics who enter military service and do not repent.

The eparchial secretary emphasized that the mobilization of priests creates an irresolvable impasse, since without weapons in hand a cleric represents a non-combat unit and a burden for a military unit. "If a priest takes up arms, he will lose the right to serve. If he does not, he will become a burden for the unit. The state will gain yet another non-combat soldier, while the Church will lose a priest, and the parish will lose its pastor," stated Archpriest Dimitry Stetsko.

As the UOJ reported, a hotline to assist UOC priests on mobilization issues has been launched.

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