Faith Plan For Forces
Last updated: 11/09/2006 - 11:53
Civilian chaplains from the Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh faith communities are to be appointed to the UK Armed Forces.
The Service Chaplaincy Services have a long and distinguished record of caring for Service personnel. Existing chaplains have been drawn exclusively from Christian denominations and while they provide valuable moral, pastoral and welfare support to all Service personnel, they are not able to offer spiritual guidance to other faiths.
The decision to appoint non-Christian chaplains reflects the increasing diversity of Armed Forces personnel. Around 740 personnel have declared themselves to be from these four faith communities.
Arrangements for these appointments have been developed in close liaison with representatives of the respective faith communities who sit on the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Religious Advisory panel. These communities will also be involved in the recruitment and selection processes.
The chaplains will be MoD civil servants, but will be integrated into the existing Service Chaplaincy organisations.
"It is our aspiration to have Armed Forces which are representative of UK society as a whole," says Defence Minister Ivor Caplin MP. "As such, we hope to encourage people throughout society to join, to make their distinctive contributions and to achieve their full potential. We genuinely welcome all faiths into the Armed Forces and will make proper provision for their spiritual needs.
"These chaplains will also assist with promoting a greater understanding of faiths within the Armed Forces and help break down any barriers which might deter people from different faiths from joining."
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