Chiefs of chaplains from 35 countries are participating, these days, in the International Military Conference of Chiefs of Chaplains from NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) member countries, which is taking place for the first time in Romania, according to Agerpres.

Chiefs of chaplains from South Africa, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Switzerland, Finland, France, Ghana, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, UK, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, USA, Sweden, Netherlands, Ukraine, Hungary, Zambia, are attending the conference in Romania, informs the Ministry of Defence (MApN), in a press release sent to Agerpres on Tuesday.

According to the same source, the Secretary of State and Head of the Department for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, and the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, participated, on Tuesday, in the opening of the conference, which took place at the Patriarchy Palace.

Organized in partnership with the United States European Command (USEUCOM), the meeting takes place between February 6 and 10.

In the current conference, entitled „The person and mission of the chaplain in the current geopolitical and religious context,” the debates focus on the status of the military chaplain, the promotion of freedom, diversity and religious tolerance in the army, the influence of religious pluralism on the activity of military chaplains, particularities of religious assistance in multinational missions and the specifics of the coordination of religious assistance in the armies of the NATO and PfP member countries, specifies the MApN.

The event, attended by 120 Roman Catholic and Orthodox clergy from 35 countries, is important for the Romanian Army, considering its visibility in the international military space, as well as the advisory role among the troops, the same source says.

„I have always believed that the role of chaplains is crucial, truly crucial in the security and defence architecture of a nation. You have gathered here from many countries, having different denominations, but many common goals: to offer comfort, courage and spiritual guidance, to offer inspiration and encouragement, to maintain morale, to be a ray of hope,” said Secretary of State Simona Cojocaru, quoted in the press release.

The Chief of the Defence Staff highlighted the fact that, in Romania, the Army and the Church, two fundamental institutions of the nation, enjoy the best rates of trust among the population. „Since the beginning of the affirmation on the stage of history, the Romanians have maintained a close connection between the Church and the Army. The military priests are concerned with the spiritual-religious requirements of the military and civilian personnel and contribute to the cultivation of military virtues, the formation of civic responsibility and patriotic feelings,” said General Daniel Petrescu.

The annual series of the „International Military Conference of Chiefs of Chaplains from NATO and PfP member countries” has reached number 34, being the first time it is organized in Romania.

Agerpres