Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister, such as a priest,
pastor, rabbi, imam or lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to
a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, school, police
department, fire department, university, or private chapel.
French, World War I
Though originally the word "chaplain" referred to
representatives of the Christian faith, it is now also applied to people of
other religions or philosophical traditions–such as the case of chaplains
serving with military forces.
French, Foreign Legion
Military chaplains provide pastoral, spiritual and emotional
support for service personnel, including the conduct of religious services at
sea, on bases or in the field. Military chaplains have a long history; the
first English military-oriented chaplains, for instance, were priests on board
proto-naval vessels during the 8th century.
French, Chasseurs Alpin (left)
Land-based chaplains appeared
during the reign of King Edward I. The current form of military chaplain dates
from the era of the First World War.
Belgium, Chasseurs Ardennais
Chaplains are nominated, appointed, or commissioned in
different ways in different countries. A military chaplain can be an
army-trained soldier with additional theological training or an ordained person
nominated to the army by religious authorities.
Though the Geneva Conventions does not state whether
chaplains may bear arms, they specify (Protocol I, June 8, 1977, Art 43.2) that
chaplains are noncombatants.
Jewish, South Africa
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