Military Chaplaincy in International Operations: A Comparison of Two Different Traditions

Abstract

This article examines the role of military chaplains who accompany soldiers on international military and peace-keeping operations, such as those in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Bosnia Herzegovina. It compares and contrasts the two principal traditions of military chaplaincy in the international field—chaplains within the military structure (as in the UK) and parish-based chaplains who remain outside the military (as in Germany). The authors examine the potential conflict between the religious vocation of military chaplains and their role in military operations, which can be particularly contentious from an ethical viewpoint. Interviews with chaplains from both countries provide a unique insight into their experiences.

Notes

Notes

1. The Chaplain General is head of the Army Chaplaincy Branch in the UK.

2. Article 140 of the Grundgesetz (Basic Law) incorporates Article 141 of the Weimar Reich constitution of 1919 which contains these provisions.

3. Der Vertrag zwischen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland mit der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland zur Regelung der evangelischen Militärseelsorge vom 22. Feb. 1957. (The contract of 22 February 1957 between the German Federal Republic and the Protestant Church in Germany regulating Protestant Military Chaplaincy.)

4. Geneva Conventions, Protocol I, 8 June 1977, Art. 43, section 2.

5. Regarding the general tensions which chaplains experience between their vocation as Christian ministers and their roles in the military, Ward provides a useful discussion of what Wilkinson calls the ‘paradox’ of military chaplaincy. Ward also makes the point that, while there are many unanswered questions about the political justification for military action, “these are questions to be asked of the political leadership, not reasons for withholding Christian presence” (Chapter 2.1a).