The General staff did not know about the chaplains of the UOC
The only one who had the spiritual support of the APU, were representatives of the UOC, according to the General staff.
In activities to meet the spiritual needs of the APU was not involved only representatives of the UOC. This was stated by the representative of the armed forces Oleksiy Tereshchuk during a briefing on the theme “the introduction of the chaplaincy service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and prospects of its development”, writes UKRINFORM.
“In 2014, the cooperation of APU and religious organizations was mutual, there was a unification of effort at the same time. Unfortunately, the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC – note. UKRINFORM.) were unwilling. It is their vision, and the figures speak for themselves, what is the contribution of each religious organization”, – said Tereshchuk.
He also claims that among religious organizations, which carry out the pastoral care of the Ukrainian military, were representatives of the UOC-Kyivan Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Union of churches of Christians of Evangelical faith – Pentecostals, but not priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In the Synodal Department of the UOC for relations with the armed forces and other military forces have repeatedly stated that the priests of the UOC-nourished soldiers in the zone of military actions in the East of Ukraine and in military units. However, in the committees of the Verkhovna Rada reject the chaplain’s Ministry of presence of the UOC in the territory of all military forces and I hope that after Thomas settled first.
As reported by the SPM, the Deputy Chairman of the Department of the UOC for relations with the Armed Forces and other military formations of Ukraine, Archimandrite Luke (Wynarczyk) reported the existence of a Directive of the General staff of the APU to prevent chaplains of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to serve the soldiers.