Legislation to simplify the way military chaplains are licensed so that they can operate more easily as their units travel around, has been approved by the Church of England’s General Synod.

At present, military chaplains are required to have Permission To Officiate (PTO) from the local bishop in the area where they are posted and secure fresh permission if they are deployed to a new area.

The Armed Forces Chaplains (licensing) Measure instead enables them to be licensed nationally by the Archbishop of Canterbury in their ministry as a military chaplain without also having to hold a diocesan PTO.

They will still require PTO to minister in local parishes or other settings.

The measure completed all of its legislative stages in the current group of sessions in York. In the vote on final approval, it was supported unanimously in all three houses of Synod (Bishops, Clergy and Laity).

It now requires parliamentary approval and royal assent before it becomes law.

The Bishop to the Armed Forces, Hugh Nelson, said: “Chaplains provide pastoral, spiritual and moral support to armed forces personnel and their families, often in complex settings.

“I am delighted by the unanimous vote for this legislation and the overwhelming affirmation it gives them.”

Notes

The Armed Forces Chaplains (licensing) Measure was approved as follows:

• Bishops: 23 in favour, none against and no abstentions.
• Clergy: 154 in favour, none against and no abstentions.
• Laity: 152 in favour, none against and no abstentions.