Ministry of Defense and Churches Prepare Guidelines to Improve Cooperation between Military and Churches

The Council for Pastoral Care of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine considered the recommendations for the improvement of cooperation between the military religious organizations in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The document, developed by the Department of Social and Humanitarian Policy of the Ministry of Defense with representatives of faiths and experts, was discussed during a meeting of the council held on April 3, 2013, at the Central House of Officers, reports the Institute for Religious Freedom.

The council meeting was attended by authorized representatives of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists, as well as Institute for Religious Freedom expert Maksym Vasin.

From the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Chief of the Department for Work with Civic and Religious Organizations Oleksandr Shcherbinin and Senior Officer of the department Colonel Ruslan Kohanchuk took part in the discussion.

The guidelines are designed to help strengthen cooperation between the military administration and the churches (religious organizations) in order to meet the religious needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to clarify this interaction, and to bring this work into the system.