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BrooklynBoy200
Guest
Can monks and priests be drafted into the military in the US?
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ChristIsTheWay
Guest
I think the draft only covers males aged 18 - 25. Very few priests or monks would be of “draftable” age. Even if they could, I imagine they would only serve in the chaplain corp.
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puzzleannie
Guest
US currently does not have the draft
Yes priests can and do serve in the military as chaplains, the US Church has an archdiocese for the military with its own archbishop.
when the draft was in effect priests and seminarians were required to register like anyone else but could apply for an exemption.
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ChristIsTheWay
Guest
While no draft is in effect at the moment, the Selective Service System (the draft authority) still requires all males aged 18 - 25 to register for possible future drafts.
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lizaanne
Guest
So then - Can we assume that any priests of appropriate draft age, were drafted during Vietnam?
~Liza
~Liza
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Dale_M
Guest
Apparently there were seminary and clergy exemptions to the Vietnam War draft. The editors of the magazine Christian Century decided to oppose these exemptions in order to force clergy to make a decision about conscientious objector status.
religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2045
religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2045
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Andruschak
Guest
No. There is no draft at the moment.
There is a lot of political posturing about bringing back the draft.
You can safely ignore it all.
Now go and pet a cat or dog
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Letchitsa1
Guest
There has been no draft in the US since Vietnam ended, I believe officially in 1975.
During Vietnam, being a priest or a seminarian was grounds for draft exemption.
Priests can serve as chaplains within the military as long as they are released for military service by their bishop. In the 10 years I’ve been in the military, I have never seen a brother or sister serving in the military.
In theory, priests could probably serve in other occupations in the military, but why would they, especially when the military is more strapped for Catholic chaplains than the US Church is strapped for priests? As it is right now, quite a few Catholic parishes on military bases rely on the local diocese/archdiocese outside their gates just to provide a priest on loan for the most basic services of mass and reconciliation. While this is not that big of a deal in the US, it can get interesting overseas.
When I was in a Catholic part of Germany (Bavaria), we had one chaplain at our little base. Whenever he took leave, we relied on a local German monastery to provide someone to cover for him. The problem: they only had a couple of priests who could speak English. I remember at least one occasion where our priest was gone for whatever reason, and they had no English-speaking priests available. The priest who came did not know English, but apparently he could read it well enough to get by. Therefore, he painstakenly wrote his homily out in German, had one of his fellow priests who knew English translate it for him before they left, and then he read the English text verbatim. And of course, the rest of the liturgy is written out fully, so there was no problem there.
I remember finding it amusing at the time and thinking that only a Catholic could pull off such a stunt–there are just too many variations from one Protestant church to the next to pull that off. That said, however, it was far and away one of the best homilies I had ever heard. I was disappointed, though, because I had a ton of questions I wanted to ask him but couldn’t because his English was only marginaly better than my German.
During Vietnam, being a priest or a seminarian was grounds for draft exemption.
Priests can serve as chaplains within the military as long as they are released for military service by their bishop. In the 10 years I’ve been in the military, I have never seen a brother or sister serving in the military.
In theory, priests could probably serve in other occupations in the military, but why would they, especially when the military is more strapped for Catholic chaplains than the US Church is strapped for priests? As it is right now, quite a few Catholic parishes on military bases rely on the local diocese/archdiocese outside their gates just to provide a priest on loan for the most basic services of mass and reconciliation. While this is not that big of a deal in the US, it can get interesting overseas.
When I was in a Catholic part of Germany (Bavaria), we had one chaplain at our little base. Whenever he took leave, we relied on a local German monastery to provide someone to cover for him. The problem: they only had a couple of priests who could speak English. I remember at least one occasion where our priest was gone for whatever reason, and they had no English-speaking priests available. The priest who came did not know English, but apparently he could read it well enough to get by. Therefore, he painstakenly wrote his homily out in German, had one of his fellow priests who knew English translate it for him before they left, and then he read the English text verbatim. And of course, the rest of the liturgy is written out fully, so there was no problem there.
I remember finding it amusing at the time and thinking that only a Catholic could pull off such a stunt–there are just too many variations from one Protestant church to the next to pull that off. That said, however, it was far and away one of the best homilies I had ever heard. I was disappointed, though, because I had a ton of questions I wanted to ask him but couldn’t because his English was only marginaly better than my German.
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demerzel85
Guest
Well where I am, there is compulsory military service for all male citizens and 2nd generation permanent residents. I am however grateful for the 2+ years of it for it allowed me to open my eyes and somehow it knocked me out of being an ignorant lapsed Catholic. The disadvantage of conscription however, is that the few vocations to the priesthood that we have in our diocese all start later.
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BrooklynBoy200
Guest
I wasn’t saying there was a draft. Only asking if there were one, could they be drafted. Thanks for the answers.
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PauloFreire2
Guest
The draft is a bad idea. Only volunteer soldiers can be depended on to do a good job. Proponants of the draft almost always tout the laurels of an ‘educated’ enlisted corps. They hearken back to 'Nam and reminisce (sp) about the proverbial college-graduate private, who, in their nostalgic thinking, was somehow better qualified to kill people on the battlefield than the high school drop-out.
Nope. They’re wrong. In fact, college educated enlisted people are HARDER to lead and less effective in war because they’re always questioning orders and wondering if they’re smarter than their officers because they have just as much education.
The cold, ugly truth is that one doesn’t need much formal education to be an efficient killer in war. Raw intelligence, as opposed to academic knowledge, and discipline and good training are the key factors. An uneducated farm-boy who does what he’s told, is well trained and determined, can be many times more lethal in war than a soft college boy who whines all the time about how he’s just as smart as his lieutenant, and much smarter than his NCOs.
'Nam is long gone, guys. Give it up.
Nope. They’re wrong. In fact, college educated enlisted people are HARDER to lead and less effective in war because they’re always questioning orders and wondering if they’re smarter than their officers because they have just as much education.
The cold, ugly truth is that one doesn’t need much formal education to be an efficient killer in war. Raw intelligence, as opposed to academic knowledge, and discipline and good training are the key factors. An uneducated farm-boy who does what he’s told, is well trained and determined, can be many times more lethal in war than a soft college boy who whines all the time about how he’s just as smart as his lieutenant, and much smarter than his NCOs.
'Nam is long gone, guys. Give it up.
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Jeepmeade
Guest
If there was a draft you should be honored to serve. It is my opinion if we live here we should be willing to die for here. (Son of a Navy Seal, who was son of a Marine, who was son of Infantry who was son of… well you see the trend) But not to start that topic… sorry 
I looked into the Chaplain corps for a long time, I am unsure if Priests can be drafted but I know there is a huge need for Catholic chaplains and the few there are have been making huge impacts on the soldiers.
When bullets are flying at your head you seem to question your purpose on earth a little more and that is a huge opportunity to share the necessity of Christ.
I looked into the Chaplain corps for a long time, I am unsure if Priests can be drafted but I know there is a huge need for Catholic chaplains and the few there are have been making huge impacts on the soldiers.
When bullets are flying at your head you seem to question your purpose on earth a little more and that is a huge opportunity to share the necessity of Christ.
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mchale
Guest
As others have pointed out, there is no draft at the moment. In general, there is no constitutional limitation preventing the drafting of religious into the military. In general however, when the draft is legal, it usually contains exemptions for a variety of reasons, in particular contientious objectors can be exempted from the draft (or drafted to serve in a non arms bearing capacity). To my knowledge, at least in the 20th century, priests and religious have not been drafted. I know Thomas Merton was exempted from the draft by entering the Trappists (at least that is how I read it in the Seven Story Mountain).
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mrs_abbott
Guest
At what age are you exempt from the draft?
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Formosus
Guest
I know Padre Pio was drafted into the Italian army at one point and that many European clergy/religious had to serve their mandatory military service even if they had taken vows or in a clerical state already. I am unsure how it works in the United States though…
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OldRedleg
Guest
Priest and seminarians would be exempt from a U.S. draft under current regulations.
IF the decision is made (a big IF in my opinion given the politics involved) all males would have to be classified for eligibility for military service. Seminary students would be would be classified 2D and deffered from service and Priest would be classified as 4D and exempt. If the seminarian drops out of the program or is not ordained, he would be reclassified and could be drafted.
Men are not classified now. Classification is the process of determining who is available for military service and who is deferred or exempted. Classifications are based on each individual registrant’s circumstances and beliefs. A classification program would go into effect when Congress and the President decide to resume a draft. Then, men who are qualified for induction would have the opportunity to file a claim for exemptions, deferments, and postponements from military service. Here is a list of some, though not all, classifications and what they mean:
1-A - available immediately for military service.
1-O Conscientious Objector- conscientiously opposed to both types (combatant and non-combatant) of military training and service - fulfills his service obligation as a civilian alternative service worker.
1-A-O Conscientious Objector - conscientiously opposed to training and military service requiring the use of arms - fulfills his service obligation in a noncombatant position within the military.
2-D Ministerial Students - deferred from military service.
3-A Hardship Deferment - deferred from military service because service would cause hardship upon his family.
4-C Alien or Dual National - sometimes exempt from military service.
4-D Ministers of Religion - exempted from military service.
Student Postponements - a college student may have his induction postponed until he finishes the current semester or, if a senior, the end of the academic year. A high school student may have his induction postponed until he graduates or until he reaches age 20. Appealing a Classification - A man may appeal his classification to a Selective Service Appeal Board.
IF the decision is made (a big IF in my opinion given the politics involved) all males would have to be classified for eligibility for military service. Seminary students would be would be classified 2D and deffered from service and Priest would be classified as 4D and exempt. If the seminarian drops out of the program or is not ordained, he would be reclassified and could be drafted.
Men are not classified now. Classification is the process of determining who is available for military service and who is deferred or exempted. Classifications are based on each individual registrant’s circumstances and beliefs. A classification program would go into effect when Congress and the President decide to resume a draft. Then, men who are qualified for induction would have the opportunity to file a claim for exemptions, deferments, and postponements from military service. Here is a list of some, though not all, classifications and what they mean:
1-A - available immediately for military service.
1-O Conscientious Objector- conscientiously opposed to both types (combatant and non-combatant) of military training and service - fulfills his service obligation as a civilian alternative service worker.
1-A-O Conscientious Objector - conscientiously opposed to training and military service requiring the use of arms - fulfills his service obligation in a noncombatant position within the military.
2-D Ministerial Students - deferred from military service.
3-A Hardship Deferment - deferred from military service because service would cause hardship upon his family.
4-C Alien or Dual National - sometimes exempt from military service.
4-D Ministers of Religion - exempted from military service.
Student Postponements - a college student may have his induction postponed until he finishes the current semester or, if a senior, the end of the academic year. A high school student may have his induction postponed until he graduates or until he reaches age 20. Appealing a Classification - A man may appeal his classification to a Selective Service Appeal Board.
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