Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ created of Chief Military Priest who will work with military personnel and employees of other law enforcement agencies in the area of military operation. How reported on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate, the head of the department for interaction with the Cossacks of the St. Petersburg diocese, Archpriest Dimitry Vasilenkov, was appointed to this post.
By order of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the cleric also became acting deputy chairman of the synodal department for interaction with the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk became the acting head of this department. As follows from the decree, he also retains his former position – the head of the synodal committee for interaction with the Cossacks.
At the same time, priest Oleg Ovcharov, who previously headed the Committee for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement, was demoted to of acting deputy.
Since the beginning of 2023, the Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly acknowledged the lack of clergy in the war zone. In particular, in January, Vladimir Legoyda, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society-Media Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, said: “Since military priests are sent to the special military operation zone on business trips it is difficult to give an exact figure. We are talking about dozens of chaplains, but of course that is not enough.
In February, Vakhtang Kipshidze, vice-chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media of the Moscow Patriarchate, told an The Eastern Herald special that “there are not enough of military priests in the Russian army, and now efforts are being made to generalize this institution, so that priests feel more secure socially and in terms of guarantees in case of injury or, God forbid , of deceased.
