Events >Chaplaincy Armed Forces Chaplaincy
Buddhist Chaplaincy for the Armed Forces
Current Position and Future Developments
(by Ron Maddox, former General Secretary of the Buddhist Society and Religious Adviser to the MoD)
Interviews for the first ever post of Buddhist Chaplain to the Armed Forces have now taken place (March 2005) with the result that an appointment is to be made as soon as security clearance has been obtained.
The post will be a Civil Service appointment, part-time and for 3 years
in the first instance, at which point it will be reviewed. In the light
of experience gained, the post may then simply be confirmed, developed
or located differently, viz., with the Chaplain becoming embedded in the
Army as an Army Chaplain.
At the moment the short-listed candidates are undergoing security clearance
When this process has been completed and an appointment made, the Endorsing Authority (EA) for the Buddhist Faith consisting of Dr D Biddulph, Ven. Khemadhammo OBE, Dr Colin Ash and Ron C. Maddox (RCM), plus any other appointees, will be required to liaise with the Buddhist Chaplain on a regular basis - perhaps three or four times per year - to monitor his general conduct and ministry and to provide any advice or support that may from time to time be necessary.
As the key contact for the MoD in his continuing role as Religious
Adviser, RCM will be contacted by the Deputy Director Special
Projects, who will
- formerly confirm that the appointment has been made, giving full details
- make recommendations regarding the ongoing process of monitoring that the EA will need to undertake.
There were 10 applications for the post, of which 3 - all men -
presented for interview, several having dropped out at an advanced
stage.
The interview Board met and conducted the in-depth interviews at an
Army base on Salisbury Plain and apparently reached unanimity in the
ranking of the 3 candidates, with the top one been described as
'outstanding'.
Further information will follow in due course.
The Buddhist Society intends to provide a number of facilities on its web site specifically aimed at Buddhists serving in the Armed Forces, and in support of the future appointed Chaplain(s).
If you have got an interest in the subject and you wish to contribute to the effort, please use the form below to record your details and someone will contact you.
