The redacted chaplain
Date
09/10/2026
Hosted By
The redacted chaplain
0:00
WORLD Radio - The redacted chaplain
Canada’s military still puts chaplains on the platform—but new rules bar them from praying or even mentioning God at public ceremonies. Critics say a policy meant to include everyone is stripping chaplains of the very faith they were appointed to bring.
The Rev. John Dowds, chaplain for the city of Edmonton, shows the interfaith pin he wears each day, at City Hall in Alberta. Associated Press / Photo by Jessie Wardarski
Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.
MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: Religious censorship in Canada.
People in military, political, and faith communities are warning against a new policy that limits the speech of military chaplains.
MARY REICHARD, HOST: At ceremonies like this Day of Remembrance for fallen soldiers in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, you’ll hear music, words of tribute, and cannons fired in salute:
SOUND: [Canadian ceremony]
But what you won’t hear anymore are references to God.
Last year, a rabbi recited the words of former Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker:
AUDIO: I am Canadian. Free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right. Freedom, the right to be oneself
BROWN: But this summer, the Canadian Armed Forces rolled out new instructions that banned chaplains from praying or mentioning God at public events. Instead, the policy tells chaplains to offer “inclusive” spiritual reflections. Religion-specific language is off-limits.
REICHARD: That means chaplains can’t pray at historical parades, change-of-command ceremonies, mess dinners, or commissioning of ships. And if event organizers or attendees ask for a prayer? Chaplains can only give a vague spiritual reflection.
The rules don’t apply to funeral or voluntary worship services.
CLEMENGER: I see it as kind of a secularist gag order.
BROWN: Bruce Clemenger is the president emeritus of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and a member of the Interfaith Committee for Canadian Military Chaplaincy. He says the policy bans chaplains from freely sharing their beliefs.
CLEMENGER: They're basically being told that they can't even, it's not just, they can't invoke God, as you would in a prayer. They can't even mention God in their remarks.
SOUND: [Oh Canada]
Clemenger says it's ironic that the national anthem can reference God at events, but not chaplains.
The policy says chaplains have to stay neutral about religion when they speak in public. It claims that makes them more welcoming to people of every belief.
But Clemenger says this actually excludes religion.
CLEMENGER: How can we come together as Canadians from diverse backgrounds when the beliefs of some are precluded from even being mentioned?
REICHARD: Clemenger hopes the lawsuits, the pressure from religious leaders, and the news coverage will get the policy changed.
Derek Abma is the spokesman for Canada’s Department of National Defence. He told WORLD over email that the policy “respects the dignity of all” by avoiding religion-specific language.
Abma says the change traces back to a 2015 ruling from Canada's Supreme Court. The court found a city council violated religious neutrality by opening its meetings with a Catholic prayer.
BROWN: Reverend Terry Cherwick is a Ukrainian Catholic priest who served as a military chaplain for more than 30 years. To him, the new policy erases the purpose of a chaplain speaking at a parade.
CHERWICK: They hired me to come into the Canadian forces as a Catholic priest. So, if you wanted some just generic chaplain who’s just going to care for people and not really bring in the charisms that I bring to the table as a Catholic priest, then why have diverse chaplains?
He says respecting different beliefs goes both ways.
CHERWICK: I can respect to make sure that I'm not giving a completely Catholic prayer only, that the integrity of all those on parade. Likewise, they need to respect on who I am, as a Catholic priest, and for those people on parade, who have a faith and believe in a theistic God.
REICHARD: Major General Douglas Carver is a retired U.S. Army chaplain who now leads chaplaincy for the North American Mission Board. He’s critical of the ban on praying. But he’s grateful that no U.S. regulations bar chaplains from praying.
CARVER: We have this unbroken blessing, a gift, a privilege of freedom, to express our faith beliefs and practices without coercion, without punishment, without prejudice, and I hope Americans realize that that's, I mean, the gift that we have.
BROWN: The Roman Catholic Military Ordinariate of Canada’s bishop published a statement in Augustcriticizing Canada’s new policy. Several other groups have voiced objection as well. A member of Parliament and the conservative advocacy group have also called for it to be amended.
WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.