Yelensky: A priest cannot shed blood, but UOC clergy are not being reserved
The head of the SSetnpc called the exemption of clergy from mobilization merely a matter of morality.
The head of the SSETNPC Viktor Yelensky acknowledged the existence of a prohibition on bearing arms for clergy, but stated that the right to deferment does not apply to UOC priests.
The head of the agency noted that the mobilization of clergy directly contradicts church canons and causes harm to the civilian population. "For liturgical churches — Orthodox and Catholic — a priest cannot shed blood. He can only offer the so-called bloodless sacrifice," Yelensky stated.
The official confirmed that to date the state has provided reserved status to more than 6,500 clergy of various organizations recognized as "critical infrastructure." At the same time, he emphasized that "priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are not subject to reservation."
Yelensky also stressed that in the east of the country a religious community often becomes the center of life for an entire settlement, and "taking a priest or pastor away from there is a serious blow."
The official explained that at present there is no automatic exemption from conscription for clergy. According to him, cases in which clergy are not sent to the front are not due to legal requirements, but solely to a "moral perspective" and a personal "understanding" of the situation. "It is more, I would say, a matter of showing understanding. But in general, they can be mobilized," Yelensky stated.
As the UOJ reported, the secretary of the Rivne diocese called on believers to save their priests.
