Deputy Head of the Synodal Department of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s Military Clergy for Volunteers, Veterans, and Their Families Affairs, Military Chaplain Father Dmytro Karan worked from 2011 to 2018 in the Pastoral Council under the Ministry of Defense, with the blessing of the Primate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church His Beatitude Mefodiy. Among other things, he was involved in the drafting of the bill on military chaplaincy, which was recently passed by the Verkhovna Rada. As part of his work, he has been in constant contact with military servicemen, often visiting military bases, the Holos Ukrainy gazette reports.
Father Dmytro was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity. His voice was heard from the stage in Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti Square, at the heart of the events. He spiritually supported protesters, being a member of the so-called Maidan Spiritual Council. He says that at that time he underwent a certain hardening, applied in practice the theoretical communication that took place within the Pastoral Council under the Ministry of Defense. Then, with the onset of Russian aggression against Ukraine, Father Dmytro volunteered to become a military chaplain and was deployed to the front line in Donbas.
– Congratulations on the adoption of the law on military chaplains. What does it offer the service? What’s important in it to you, personally?
– It provides an opportunity to create a full-fledged chaplaincy service in the Armed Forces, Border Guard Service, National Guard, and other military formations operating in our country.
As early as April 2017, military priests began to be assigned positions with the Armed Forces of Ukraine as full-time chaplains. With this legislation passed, chaplains become part of the military – full-time servicemen with the appropriate military ranks and social protection.
This law has been prepared, drafted, and agreed upon over a very long period. However, at the final stage, one important point concerning the priests of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate was removed from the draft. And now their representatives are trying to convince everyone that the law in fact opens the possibility for priests of the UOC-MP (ROCinU – ed.) to join the Ukrainian Army ranks. However, Law of Ukraine No.2662 “On Amendments to Article 12 of Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” clearly stipulates that priests, pastors that are part of a denomination whose governing center is beyond Ukraine “in a state that by law is recognized as the one having committed military aggression against Ukraine and/or temporarily occupied part of the territory of Ukraine,” have no right to join the Armed Forces. Due to the fact that this clarification has been removed from the law on chaplains, we hope that military commanders and the general public will monitor the process and take due note of the existing Law No.2662.
– How does the Christian commandment “thou shalt not kill” go along with war? What did you say to our soldiers on the front line? What spiritual instructions did you offer?
– Of course, war and love are incompatible. But at the same time, Christ teaches through the Scriptures that there is no other love than to lay down one’s life for one’s neighbor. For Russia, war is about aggression, and for Ukraine, it is about protection. We protect our land, our Homeland, our homes, and our families. Accordingly, a Ukrainian warrior is a defender against an insidious enemy. Therefore, protection through self-sacrifice, through risking one’s own life is the highest commandment of love in the Gospel.
As for the enemy, as the Savior Jesus Christ tells us, if we cannot verbally explain something or settle, the only thing that can deter an enemy who has come and humiliated our land is armed rebuff.
– Is an army possible without faith? How has the spirit of Ukrainian soldiers changed during the Russo-Ukrainian war?
– It’s just like a man. See, Army is people. So it’s everyone’s own choice. Being on the brink of life and death, you start to value life… We, military chaplains, approach everyone. We communicate as pastors, regardless of whether they are believers or not, we support them but do not get into any debate… Through the words of chaplains, through their behavior, each soldier determines for themselves whether they want to truly listen to a military priest.
I’m proud to see, especially during this war period, how our soldiers’ patriotism and fighting spirit are growing and how the soldiers, inhaling the scent of Donbas wormwood, recall their glorious Cossack roots and grow to become real warriors. Glory to Ukraine!
Glory to heroes!
