In Denmark, priests are being prepared for ministry in the event of a full-scale war in Europe. In particular, preparations are being made for heavy casualties in the event of an invasion of the Baltic states.

This is reported in a story by TV 2.

Thomas H. Beck, head of the army chaplaincy service, told the broadcaster that the country’s priests must be prepared for the possibility that, in the event of war in the Baltic states, the number of soldiers killed could reach 20 a day.

In response to the heightened threat posed by the war in Ukraine and the risk of a military confrontation in the Baltic region, where Danish soldiers are deployed, the chief chaplain has launched the “National Church and Defence” (Folkekirke og Forsvar) project. The project is supported by the Ministry of Defence with a grant of 1.8 million Danish kroner.

According to Beck, in the event of a major war, the Armed Forces’ 95 military chaplains would be unable to handle the task of conducting soldiers’ funerals on their own. All parish priests should therefore receive training in conducting military funerals. As part of a course on military traditions, the country’s parish priests will also be taught how to notify relatives of a soldier’s death and about the traditions associated with military funerals.

Asked about the risk of alarming people by discussing such a high number of fatalities in the event of war, the chief chaplain said the situation needed to be viewed realistically.

“I am sure that most people are capable of taking in and understanding the reality. When we build up our military capabilities and deploy soldiers to NATO’s eastern flank, this becomes part of the overall picture,” Thomas H. Beck said.