Spiritual health important for Canadian soldiers
OTTAWA, ON—Faith is strong among men and women in uniform, says Karl McLean, the incoming Chaplain General of the Canadian Armed Forces.
"It is incredible the risks they take personally and the self-sacrifices they make on behalf of their nation," McLean says. "They are an incredibly talented and motivated group of people, and they understand the importance of being spiritually healthy."
After more than 23 years in the military chaplaincy, McLean will move into the top spot this September. During his two-year-term as chaplain general, he will oversee the 200 regular and 200 reservist chaplains in the Canadian Armed Forces. While the majority of chaplains are Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox Christians, a handful are Muslim or Jewish.
McLean says, "If there is cooperation and respect between faith leaders, that will be a tremendous example for society as a whole in terms of resolving conflict.
"When I talk about spiritual health, that's quite a broad and general category for people," McLean adds. "Whether they are part of a faith tradition or not, they are concerned about finding meaning in their lives and concerned about their relationships.
"It's a great challenge to be separated from your loved ones for a large period of time. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to result in more marital problems than in the civil population. But it does mean that chaplains do a lot of marital counselling and family counselling. They also have a big role in referring to other specialists when they see needs that are beyond their capability."
McLean hopes Canadians will pray for the effectiveness of their troops in facilitating effective peace in conflict areas overseas, and for the chaplains who accompany them.
"I consider our chaplains to be the best religious and faith leaders in the country," McLean says. "Chaplains have to go into very dangerous settings and minister to those people there. Our military wouldn't have anyone to provide that pastoral care were the chaplains not there."
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