In pre-Petrine Russia, clerics were temporarily seconded to regiments by patriarchal order or direct order of the tsar. Under Peter the Great, a special fee began to be levied from parishes from the year - help money in favor of regimental priests and naval hieromonks. According to the Military Charter of the year, each regiment was to have a priest, in wartime subordinate to the field chief priest of the army in the field, and according to the Charter of the naval service of the year, a hieromonk was appointed to each ship (sometimes non-family priests from the white clergy were appointed), and at the head of the naval clergy was placed chief hieromonk of the fleet. In peacetime, the clergy of the ground forces were subordinate to the bishop of the diocese where the regiment was stationed, i.e. was not merged into a separate corporation.

The position of the military clergy began to gradually improve after Catherine II ordered the construction of special churches for the guards regiments, and also granted the military priests the right to receive side income from the requirements for the civilian population.

In accordance with the nominal decree of Nicholas I of December 6, the post of regimental priest was equated with the rank of captain. The legal status of the military and naval clergy remained rather vague until the end of tsarist Russia: the repeatedly legally prescribed dual subordination of military and naval priests to their spiritual superiors and the military command, which was in charge of the unit cared for by a particular priest, was not explained in any of the normative documents.

Statistics

The Office of the Protopresbyter of the Military and Naval Clergy included:

• cathedrals - 12; churches - 806 regimental, 12 serf, 24 hospital, 10 prison, 6 port, 3 house, and 34 at various institutions. There are 907 temples in total.
• Protopresbyter - 1, archpriests - 106, priests - 337, protodeacons - 2, deacons - 55, psalmists - 68. In total - 569 clerics, of which 29 graduated from theological academies, 438 - theological seminaries, and 102 had school and home education.

Periodicals

• “Bulletin of the military clergy”, magazine (from the year; in - years - “Bulletin of the military and naval clergy”, in the year - “Church and public thought. Progressive body of the military and naval clergy”).

Headship

Chief priests of the army and navy

• Pavel Yakovlevich Ozeretskovsky, archpriest. (-)
• Ioann Semyonovich Derzhavin, prot. (-)
• Pavel Antonovich Modzhuginsky, prot. (-)
• Grigory Ivanovich Mansvetov, prot. (-)
• Vasily Ioannovich Kutnevich, archpriest. (-)

Chief priests of the army and navy

Who are military priests? In what "hot spots" do they serve and how do they live? Archpriest Sergiy Privalov, chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces, spoke about the role military clergy play in conflict points and how they help soldiers in the "Image" program in Tsargrad.

What is the peculiarity of military priests

Veronika Ivashchenko: To begin with, let me ask you: what is the role of the clergy today in the Russian armed forces?

Sergiy Privalov: The role has always been high. This role is to bring a spiritual component to the service to the Fatherland.

At present, a military priest - he, on the one hand, is the same priest as in the parish. But it has one, perhaps the most fundamental difference. He is ready to be with the military. He is ready to be with those who defend our Fatherland, our Motherland, our original traditions, our spiritual life. And in this case, the clergyman becomes not only among those who defend with weapons. But he brings a spiritual meaning to this armed defense.

Extra strength.

Not only additional spiritual strength, but, on the other hand, a moral component. Because a clergyman is a person who has a calling from God. He brings into the military formation the humanization and understanding of the service to which the servicemen are called. People with weapons - for them it is a responsible obedience. And the use of this most perfect weapon today should be in clean hands, with a moral tuning fork in the soul of every person. And this, first of all, is characteristic of what the clergyman brings to the troops.

Orthodox priests in Syria

Father Sergiy, now our servicemen are participating in the fighting in Syria. Tell me, in some way, in these difficult conditions, they are spiritually nourished by Orthodox priests?

Yes. Services are held almost daily. At the air base in Khmeimim, a full-time military chaplain is present along with military personnel. Moreover, on major holidays, great holidays, the Russian Orthodox Church sends additional clergy and choristers to participate in divine services not only at the Khmeimim air base, but also at the Tartus naval base.

Just recently, in Khmeimim, an Orthodox chapel was consecrated in honor of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. And the temple in Tartus, in honor of the holy righteous warrior Fyodor Ushakov, should soon be consecrated. Here are the Bishops, both from Tartu and the Bishop who covers the Patriarchate of Antioch with an omophorion and, in particular, the air base in Khmeimim, blessed the construction of Orthodox church clergy. And just recently, they took part with Bishop Anthony Akhtubinsky and Enotaevsky in the consecration of this chapel. The entire staff was present at the consecration.

Therefore, the priests are nearby. Priests are inside military formations, they are together with military personnel, even in these so-called "hot spots".

Our main weapon is prayer

Father Sergius, recently His Holiness Patriarch Kirill spoke about the ideal of a Christ-loving army, citing the war in the Middle East as an example. Is it really impossible to fight against that most terrible enemy only with the help of weapons?

Certainly. Therefore, the Russian Orthodox Church also prays. Our most important weapon is prayer. And the more followers of the Christian faith there are in the world, the purer, the more spiritual, the more peaceful humanity will become.

Therefore, the religion of love, Christianity is such a potential that people should resort to. They should also compare other religions, and, first of all, those people who reject religion altogether and want to be so-called. atheists. Or those who choose the path of pseudo-religion, terrorism. In this case, Christianity reveals the meaning and the basis to which one must resort in order to win in the spiritual battle. In this case, prayer should be the natural state of the soul of an Orthodox warrior.

And, perhaps, that is why the demand for military priests is growing so much?

Certainly, and especially in "hot spots". When people feel that not only the force of arms is needed. You need confidence in your actions. You need confidence in the rightness of your ministry. Inside the military unit, formations. And most importantly, when people turn to Christ, they receive this help. Many people put on Orthodox crosses for the first time. Many are baptized. Many come to confession and Holy Communion for the first time. This is, in fact, a joyful event for the clergy.

Now there are about 170 full-time military chaplains

And tell me, how many military priests are there now?

There are about 170 military clergy today. These are the ones that are assigned. And more than 500 in various capacities, we call them freelance military clergy, serve in military units. Periodically coming, performing divine services, nourishing the flock.

And tell me, can they be called chaplains, is that correct?

Well, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the word "chaplain" is more associated with Catholicism or Protestantism. And in our everyday life they are sometimes called chaplains. Which, perhaps, is not entirely correct, but there is such a tendency to call military clergy the same as they are called in a unified way in the West. But I think that every military clergyman, of course, does not change his spiritual inner content from this.

Please tell us what are the requirements for their selection? Do they participate in military exercises together with ordinary military personnel?

First, the selection is quite tough. First of all, it concerns spiritual education. That is, we select those clergy who have a sufficiently high level of both spiritual and secular education. The second criterion is the skills of working in a military environment. That is, they must have experience in pastoral service, in the care of military formations. And third, of course, health. That is, a person must be ready for this service, he himself must express a desire to pass the appropriate selection through the Ministry of Defense, in personnel bodies. And only after that, and on the recommendation of the ruling bishop of his diocese, is he considered by the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces. And this decision is approved by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

By the way, what are the most pressing issues in your department right now?

I would not say that some issues are especially acute and we are not able to solve them. That is, everything that is happening today is a solvable problem.

Of course, one of these problems is the staffing of military clergy. We have 268 full-time posts, but so far 170 have been appointed. Therefore, in the far regions, in the north, the Far East, full-time positions of military clergymen are not yet fully staffed. And then an appropriate basis for spiritual enlightenment should be formed. That is, we really want the priest to be heard, that the appropriate time and place be allocated where the priest would talk about Christ, about the spiritual foundations of military service to the Fatherland. For this, we still need to go through a lot in the military environment, to ensure that we are understood, heard and given us such an opportunity. Not only, as some say, with each soldier individually, but also with large units at the same time.

From officers to military priests

Father Sergius, many military priests were officers in the past, including you, right?

Correctly.

Tell me, please, how often does it happen that it is the military who become priests?

Well, firstly, a person who himself has known Christ, he can no longer stop talking about him. If a person was previously in an officer's position, then he understands that the next stage of his service is to carry the word of God already in the holy dignity. But, again, among those whom he knows best and is best oriented in a particular situation within military units.

And therefore, the percentage of those who were previously officers, or have completed military service, perhaps as contract soldiers, is quite high. But this is not the only and correct criterion for the selection of military priests. Because there are military clergy who have never even served in the army.

But at the same time, they are so close in spirit and love to the military units and to those guys who serve in the troops that they have gained such authority. They really became fathers for these military guys. Therefore, here you need to look at the spiritual calling. And the Lord calls. And if so, then a person cannot but serve his neighbor. And who needs it the most? Of course, the military. Because for them Christ is protection. For them, Christ is their support. For them, the Savior is the goal of life. Because it is precisely when they are inside in such difficult conditions that they turn to God sincerely. And in this case, the priest should be nearby. He must support the guys with his prayer, and, first of all, spiritually instruct.

There are more and more believers among the military

And how do priests influence the relationship between military personnel? Maybe the situation with hazing has changed, do they affect moral development?

Probably, after all, the most important thing is that the attitude of a person to society, to the world, to himself and to religion, in principle, has changed. That is, the number of believers who consciously say that they are Orthodox, you said about 78%, now the percentage is even higher, more than 79%.

And most importantly, the guys, the military, are not afraid to confess their faith. They are consciously baptized, go to churches, participate in divine services. This is probably the most important thing that happened with the arrival or participation of clergy in military units.

The second is the change in the internal climate within the military units. Military discipline has changed, or even improved. I think that in many ways these questions, of course, are not only for priests, and it is their merit that hazing is coming to naught. Firstly, these are very correct and competent decisions of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Kuzhegetovich Shoigu. And hazing itself, which involves a two-year conscription, when one in relation to the other military personnel are older and younger - this artificial division led to conflicts.

Now this is not. All serve only one year. This time. And secondly, the tasks that the armed forces solve have become, first of all, combat. People are preparing for war. And as a poet, they try to treat their service accordingly. Teachings, transfers, regroupings.

All this suggests that there is no time to engage in some kind of hazing relationship. It is clear that anything can happen. But the attitude of man to man within the military collective is changing for the better. Because they are doing their duty now. Sometimes in isolation from their native land. And very often with the participation of the most serious events that require concentration, the brotherly shoulder of his colleague. All this, well, in combination, of course, improves the situation inside the military units. And the priests are always near.+

That is, during field exercises, they go out together with the military, put up their tents, temples, tents, and try to pray with them. That is, this is, in fact, the real combat work of a military clergyman.

Not everyone knows that there are military priests in the Russian army firsthand. They first appeared in the middle of the XVI century. The duties of military priests were charged with teaching the Law of God. For this, separate readings and conversations were arranged. Priests were to become an example of piety and faith. Over time, this direction in the army was forgotten.

A bit of history
In the Military Charter, the military clergy first officially appeared in 1716, by order of Peter the Great. He decided that the priests had to be everywhere - on ships, in regiments. The naval clergy was represented by hieromonks, their head was the chief hieromonk. The land priests were subordinate to the field "commander", in peacetime - to the bishop of the diocese where the regiment was located.

Catherine the Second changed this scheme somewhat. She put at the head of only one ober, under whose leadership were the priests of both the fleet and the army. He received a permanent salary, after 20 years of service he was awarded a pension. Then the structure of the military clergy was adjusted for a hundred years. In 1890, a separate church and military department appeared. It included many churches, cathedrals:

prison;

hospitals;

serfs;

Regimental

port.

The military clergy had their own magazine. Certain salaries were determined, depending on the rank. The chief priest was equated with the rank of general, lower in rank - with ober, major, captain, etc.

Many military priests showed heroism in the First World War and approximately 2,500 people received awards, 227 gold crosses were awarded. Eleven clergy received the Order of St. George (four of them posthumously).

The institute of the military clergy was liquidated by order of the People's Commissariat in 1918. 3,700 clergy were dismissed from the army. Many of them were repressed as class alien elements.

Revival of the military clergy
The idea to revive military priests arose in the mid-1990s. The Soviet leaders did not give the direction of wide development, but gave a positive assessment to the initiative of the ROC (Russian Orthodox Church), since the ideological core was needed, and a new bright idea had not yet been formulated.

However, the idea was never developed. A simple priest was not suitable for the army; people from the military environment were needed, who would be respected not only for wisdom, but also for courage, valor and readiness for feat. The first such priest was Cyprian-Peresvet. Initially, he was a soldier, then he became an invalid, in 1991 he took tonsure, three years later he became a priest and began to serve in the army in this rank.

He went through the Chechen wars, was captured by Khattab, was at the firing line, and was able to survive after severe injuries. For all this, he was named Peresvet. He had his own call sign "YAK-15".

In 2008-2009 special surveys were conducted in the army. As it turned out, almost 70 percent of the servicemen are believers. Medvedev D.A., who was the president at that time, was informed about this. He gave the decree to revive the institution of the military clergy. The order was signed in 2009.

They did not begin to copy the structures that were still under the tsarist regime. It all started with the formation of the Office for Work with Believers. The organization created 242 units of assistant commanders. However, during the five-year period it was not possible to fill all the vacancies, despite the many candidates. The bar was too high.

The department began work with 132 priests, of which two are Muslims and one is a Buddhist, the rest are Orthodox. For all of them, a new uniform and rules for wearing it were developed. It was approved by Patriarch Kirill.

Military chaplains must wear (even on exercises) military field uniforms. It does not have shoulder straps, outer or sleeve signs, but there are buttonholes with dark Orthodox crosses. During the divine service, a military priest over a field uniform is obliged to put on an epitrachelion, a cross and handrails.

Now bases for spiritual work on land and in the fleet are being renovated and built. More than 160 chapels and temples are already in operation. They are being built in Gadzhiyevo and Severomorsk, in Kant and other garrisons.

St. Andrew's Naval Cathedral in Severomorsk

In Sevastopol, the church of St. Michael the Archangel became paramilitary. Previously, this building was used only as a museum. The government decided to allocate premises for prayers on all ships of the first rank.

The military clergy begins a new history. Time will tell how it will develop, how much it will be needed and in demand. However, if you look back at the previous history, the clergy raised the military spirit, strengthened it, and helped people cope with difficulties.

”, published by the Moscow printing house in the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, in the chapter determining the salaries of military ranks, the regimental priest is already listed.

Regimental priests represented the most numerous detachment of the military clergy, they were equated with officers in the rank of captain and received almost the full captain's ration: a salary of 366 rubles a year, the same number of canteens, not counting other types of allowances. Increases in salary were established for length of service: for 10 years of service in the military department - 25% of the salary, for 20 years - half of the salary.

By the end of the 19th century, there were about 5,000 members of the military clergy in the Russian army and navy. The number of priests in the Russian army was determined by the states approved by the Minister of War.

The main task of the priest in wartime, in addition to performing divine services, was to influence his flock by personal example, firmness of spirit in the most difficult situations, steadfastness in the performance of military duty. They also participated in taking the oath of recruits.

“The regimental priest takes on a special emergency mission during the battle of the Russian army with the enemy. The priest must stock up on self-sacrifice so that, standing in the heat of battle, he can maintain in the army the hope of God's help and his own strength, breathe into it patriotic heroism for the Tsar and the Fatherland., - wrote N. K. Nevzorov.

In battle, the location of the regimental priest was supposed to be at the forward dressing station, where the wounded accumulated, in need of moral support and medical care. Therefore, the priest was required, in addition to performing his direct functional duties, to be able to perform the duties of the medical staff. In cases of need, when circumstances so required, regimental priests were also among the fighting.

In the Russian army, regimental priests were clergymen of different faiths - Christianity, Judaism, Islam (regimental mullah).

Modernity

In August 2015, at a meeting of the Interreligious Council of Russia, a proposal was considered to create informal working groups of representatives of traditional religions under the assistant heads of the territorial Federal Penitentiary Service for work with believers and military units. Speaking about the composition of the groups, culturologist Yusuf Malakhov noted that clerics should not be appointed to the staff of sensitive institutions to fulfill the goals of moral direction in order to avoid a conflict of interests of various centralized organizations, when each of them tries to appoint their own person, and suggested appointing acting people to these positions. officers who could combine their usual service with religious activities, thereby avoiding unnecessary expenses for the training of new personnel.

You won’t surprise anyone with military priests in the Russian army - “priests in uniform” organically fit into the modern Russian army. Before carrying the word of God into the ranks, army priests must undergo a month-long course of combat training. The other day, such training began at the Military University of the Ministry of Defense. The “cadets in cassocks”, who was there, told the “Culture” special correspondent, as if in spirit, why they needed the army.

Shooting is canceled

Officially, according to the staff list, their position is called "assistant commander for work with religious servicemen." The rank is high: one military priest ministers to a large formation - a division, a brigade, a military university, this is several thousand people. Despite the fact that they themselves are not military personnel, they do not wear epaulettes, and by virtue of their spiritual dignity they are generally forbidden to take up arms, military priests undergo a military training course every three years.

Alexander Surovtsev, head of the department for work with religious servicemen, believes that an army priest is a person, although spiritual, but must also possess certain military knowledge. For example, to have an idea about the types and types of troops, to understand how the Airborne Forces differ from the Navy and the Strategic Missile Forces from the VVKO.

Training to improve military qualifications, Surovtsev tells Kultura, lasts a month and is conducted on the basis of five military educational institutions throughout the country. The current group of priests at the Military University is the fourth since the spring of 2013. It includes 18 Orthodox priests from various regions of Russia, most of them have been appointed to positions this year. In total, 60 representatives of the military clergy have already successfully completed training here, including 57 Orthodox, two Muslims and one Buddhist.

Surovtsev himself is from the regular military. But for the sake of his current position, he had to remove his shoulder straps - a civilian should manage the priests. “It is the chaplains who have military ranks, while our priests have no shoulder straps,” Alexander Ivanovich smiles. Back in the early 1990s, he was seconded to the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies and actually stood at the origins of the institution of the military clergy in the army.

As Surovtsev said, within a month, cadets-priests will have to master the basics of tactics and other sciences. From the further list of topics - spiritual and educational, moral and psychological, philosophical and political science, socio-economic - my head went around. I think I don’t have one, so the military priests are looking forward to leaving “in the field” with special impatience - to training grounds and shooting ranges. This year, they will not be given weapons in their hands - there were too many rumors about the participation of their predecessors in the shooting. The media were full of photos of priests with Kalashnikovs, the signatures were not very benevolent. Therefore, this time the Ministry of Defense decided not to set themselves up, and not to set up the priests. True, some grumble.

So what? - said Archpriest Oleg Khatsko, he came from Kaliningrad. - In the Scriptures it is written "thou shalt not kill." And about the fact that a clergyman cannot take up arms, there is not a word.

If you can’t shoot, then what will the priests do at the shooting range? Watch how military personnel make holes in the targets and bless them for a well-aimed shot. Among the practical exercises for priests, it is planned to get acquainted with the field station for working with religious servicemen, which will be deployed at one of the training grounds in the Moscow region. Such a tent type is also available at the Military University - in case of departure of cadets and students permanently studying here for field classes. Archpriest Dmitry Solonin, assistant to the head of the university, will tell and show everything to his fellow priests who arrived for advanced training - many of them brought camping sets of church utensils with them. By the way, there is also a permanent camp temple in the Russian army - so far there is only one, in Abkhazia, on the territory of the 7th Russian military base in the city of Gudauta. The local archpriest Vasily Alesenko believes that soon they will build a stationary temple. “All the will of God,” he told me. “Well, a bit of help from the Ministry of Defense.”

And just the other day, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov, announced that the construction of chapels had been completed on the two islands of the Arctic, where Russian troops are stationed. There will be four of them in this region - on the islands of Kotelny, Wrangel, Franz Josef Land and Cape Schmidt.

In addition to classes (this is 144 academic hours), the military priests also have a cultural program. They will visit the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, the Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekov, they will go to the Borodino field, where they will serve a prayer service. And on November 3, they were entrusted to participate in the evening service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where the next day a solemn service in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God will take place.

Orthodox Shepherd

I have always wondered - how do they turn to military priests in the army? Do they have military uniforms or camouflage cassocks? Are soldiers supposed to salute the priests, after all, after all, the assistant (consider deputy) of the commander?

I overheard how our priests decipher the word "priest" - the shepherd of the Orthodox sheep, - Alexander Surovtsev smiles. - In general, it is true ... There are no special recommendations for addressing priests in the army. Honor is definitely not required to be given - their rank is not military, but spiritual. Most often, the priest is addressed: "father."

Father Oleg from Kostroma also echoes Surovtsev: “You need to earn an appeal to yourself. So you come to the commander, introduce yourself by your last name, first name, patronymic, and church rank, and then it depends on the relationship, on what result you bring. But most often called, of course, the father.

I heard everything - both the holy father, and even “Your Eminence” sounded from the lips of the authorities, many generally hesitated, not knowing what to call it, - Archpriest Oleg Khatsko laughs. - But it is better to let the commander choose the appeal himself.

Priest Dionysius Grishin from the airborne training center (himself a former paratrooper) also recalls, not without a smile, how he experimented with greetings.

I approach the line of soldiers, and as I roar in a bass voice: “I wish you good health, comrade soldiers!” Father Dionysius naturally shows. - Well, in response, as expected, they answer: “We wish you good health ...” - and further confusion. Someone fell silent, someone out of order - "comrade priest", "comrade father." And somehow a mischief-maker came across, who also played bass, while his comrades thought about how he would give out: “We wish you good health, comrade pop!” I just laughed, but in the future I just said hello, not in a military way.

With the form, too, everything is simple - the priests serve in church clothes, as it should be. But field camouflage is given to them - at will. In it and during exercises it is more convenient to move through the forest-fields, and it doesn’t get as dirty as a cassock.

During the service, of course, there can be no question of any military uniform, - explains the priest Yevgeny Tsiklauri from the Russian military base Kant in Kyrgyzstan. - But when you sometimes put on a uniform, you feel a greater disposition on the part of the soldiers. Here, even Muslim military personnel are becoming more open, they see you as a comrade, fellow soldier. By the way, for Muslims, we managed to agree that a local imam read sermons for them, on a freelance basis.

The military priests are not particularly obsessed with fasting either.

A post in the army is optional, we will only advise what you can refrain from, the priests say. - It also depends on the intensity of the service. Here, in pre-revolutionary Russia, the army fasted in the army - a week for each unit. And Peter I at one time demanded permission from the patriarch not to fast during wars and campaigns.

But the main thing for the military priest is not the form, but the content: his task is to increase the morale of the unit.

In Chechnya, during the war, the soldiers were drawn to the priest, hoping to find moral support from him, the opportunity to strengthen their spirit by hearing a wise and calm word, - recalls reserve colonel Nikolai Nikulnikov in an interview with Kultura. - As a commander, I did not interfere and I myself always treated the priests with respect - after all, they went with the fighters under the same bullets. And in civilian life, while serving in the Ulyanovsk landing brigade, I was convinced that the word of a priest disciplines. Here the fighters visited the confession of a good priest or just served in the temple - certainly do not expect drinks or other violations from them. We can say: what is the pop - such is the regiment. They know how to set up people to complete the task without any commands.

Junker gentlemen

In the Russian army, according to statistics, 78% of believers, but few have knowledge that extends beyond the prayer "Our Father". “There are many believers - few enlightened ones,” Father Vasily complains. “But that’s what our mission is to strengthen the spirit and mind of our flock.”

The guys now join the army with faith in their hearts, we only help them, - says Archpriest Oleg Novikov from the Kostroma Academy of RKhBZ (radiation, chemical and biological protection). - This year, immediately after entering the academy, forty young men came to the temple. And no one forced them to do so.

Father Oleg recalls an episode 17 years ago, when the film "The Barber of Siberia" was filmed in Kostroma - 300 cadets of the school were involved. They were given a cadet uniform, with which they did not part either in the classroom or even during dismissals to the city. To get used to the image. Grandmothers on the streets cried, recognizing the cadet uniform on the cadets - the same as in the surviving photographs of their fathers.

At that time I was already the rector of the temple, which was located on the territory of the school, and all these three months we lived with the cadets, - continues the archpriest. - And I noticed how the guys literally change before our eyes ...

When on New Year's Eve Nikita Mikhalkov left for Moscow with the actors, the Junkers got a vacation from working in the cinema. They seemed to be able to relax. But no! They got so used to their new essence that when they entered the temple, they sang “Our Father” and other prayers even better and more conscientiously than in the presence of their film mentors.

They did it absolutely sincerely, that's the main thing, - says Father Oleg. - Not under compulsion, but only of their own free will.

Oleg Novikov himself also graduated from the Kostroma Military School.

At one time he was a cadet of the Kaliningrad Higher Naval School and Novikov's namesake - Archpriest Oleg Khatsko. He studied well, did not violate discipline - for three years of study he was AWOL only twice, one of which turned out to be collective - in protest against the injustice of the teacher. But once he felt that this was not his military field, he wrote a report and left.

Friends, especially those who are still serving in Kaliningrad, joke: they say, was it worth it to leave the school in order to return here again, even as a military priest.

When we were already saying goodbye to the heroes of this essay, a chant was heard within the walls of the Military University. The priests unanimously deduced: “It is worthy to eat as if it were truly blessed Theotokos, Blessed and Immaculate and the Mother of our God-oh-oh ...”

This is a prayer for the completion of any good deed, - Alexander Surovtsev explained. - And our cadets-priests went through another course of lectures and enriched themselves with knowledge that will help them in communicating with their military flock. It's not a sin to sing.

Salary for a priest

The decision to create an institution of military clergy in the Russian army and navy was made on July 21, 2009. The first in 2011 was Father Anatoly Shcherbatyuk, who was ordained a priest at the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the city of Sertolovo, Leningrad Region (Western Military District). Now there are more than 140 military priests in the army. Their composition is proportional to the ratio of believing military personnel. Orthodox make up 88%, Muslims - 9%. There is only one Buddhist military priest so far - in a separate motorized rifle brigade in the Buryat city of Kyakhta. This is the lama of the Murochinsky datsan monastery, reserve sergeant Bair Batomunkuev, he does not pretend to have a separate temple in a military unit - he performs rituals in a yurt.

In 1914, about 5,000 regimental and ship priests and several hundred chaplains served in the Russian army. Mullahs also served in national formations, for example, in the "Wild Division", staffed by people from the Caucasus.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, as Boris Lukichev, the first head of the department for work with religious servicemen in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, told Kultura, the activities of priests were secured by a special legal status. Formally, the clergy did not have military ranks, but in fact, in the military environment, the deacon was equated with the lieutenant, the priest with the captain, the rector of the military cathedral and the divisional dean - with the lieutenant colonel, the field chief priest of the armies and fleets and the chief priest of the General Staff, Guards and Grenadier Corps - to the major general, and the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy (the highest church position for the army and navy, established in 1890) - to the lieutenant general.

The church "table of ranks" influenced the monetary allowance paid from the treasury of the military department, and other privileges. For example, each ship priest was entitled to a separate cabin and a boat, he had the right to moor the ship from the starboard side, which, apart from him, was allowed only to flagships, ship commanders and officers who had St. George awards. The sailors were obliged to salute him.

In the Russian army, Orthodox priests resumed their activities almost immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, this happened on a voluntary basis and their activities depended heavily on the will of a particular unit commander - somewhere they didn’t let priests on the threshold, but somewhere they threw open the doors wide, and even senior officers pulled themselves to attention in front of the clergy.

The first official agreement on cooperation between the church and the army was signed in 1994. At the same time, the Coordinating Committee for Interaction between the Armed Forces and the Russian Orthodox Church appeared. In February 2006, Patriarch Alexy II gave his blessing for the training of military priests "for the spiritual guidance of the Russian army." Soon this idea was approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The priests are paid by the Ministry of Defense. Recently, they were given a 10% bonus for the difficult nature of the service and irregular working hours. 30-40 thousand rubles began to come out per month. As it became known to Kultura, now the defense department is considering the possibility of equating their salaries with those received by the military in a similar position of assistant commander of a formation - it will turn out to be about 60,000. With God's help, you can live.