The Russian Church is preparing a list of permitted professions for priests
The Russian Church discussed secular professions that are acceptable to priests. The document is prepared by the so-called “Inter-council presence” – a body preparing the texts for consideration and adoption by the Council of Bishops of the ROC. The Council of Bishops will be held in mid-November, and the Inter-Council Presence has already made public some of the documents being prepared. Among them is “On the secular work of the clergy.” It is noted that the priest cannot serve in the army, not the chaplains, but the military, who take part in hostilities and carry weapons.
Priests are also not allowed to engage in professional sports because of the full dedication of time and effort that such a profession requires. “An athlete cannot combine this with the priestly ministry, which also presupposes complete consecration. One must dedicate oneself to either one or the other,” said Abbess Ksenia (Chernega), a member of the Inter-Conciliar Presence.
The document proposes to ban priests from all stage activities, as well as participation in music shows, as is the case in Russia. Such is the case with Ivan Okhlobystin, who for five years – from 2005 to 2010 – combined the priestly and acting professions, after which he applied to Patriarch Kiril to resign from the priestly ministry “due to internal contradictions”. In 2015, the Russian monk Photius won the fourth edition of the music show “Voice” and for some time combined his musical career and monastic ministry.
Priests are not prohibited from working as drivers, despite the risk that they will cause an accident and cause injury or death to another person. They can also be doctors without participating in activities such as abortion or euthanasia. According to the authors of the project, various intellectual and creative activities such as teacher, translator and artist are suitable for priests. They can also trade in goods from their farm. Entrepreneurial activity is not encouraged due to possible risks, including reputational ones, which may cause unfulfilled contracts, etc. similar. Usury is expressly prohibited.
The text of the document is to be published. It is subject to wider public discussion before being submitted to the Council of Bishops. The discussion on it started in 2018 on the pages of the “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, provoking mixed reactions and comments among the clergy.