Retired CAF chaplain takes aim at directive banning padres from prayer

"We're not social workers, we're not glorified psychologists — we're chaplains," says Fr. Timothy Nelligan

Published Aug 06, 2026  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  3 minute read

Maj. Timothy Nelligan during his time posted as an army chaplain at 8 Wing/CFB Trenton, Ont. on Sept. 25, 2013. Photo by Jerome Lessard /Postmedia File

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OTTAWA — It’s like hiring a doctor and handing him a mop and bucket.

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That’s how one retired Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) chaplain described new directives from Canada’s top military brass prohibiting military padres from praying during public events and encouraging secular, religiously neutral “spiritual reflections” instead.

“How do you respect somebody, especially in the case of a chaplain, to be a person of faith if the very first thing you’re going to do when it comes to a spiritual moment is to compromise, on the altar of neutrality, their very own faith?” said Fr. Timothy Nelligan, a Catholic priest in Ottawa who served as a Canadian Army chaplain for more than 35 years, in an interview with the Toronto Sun.

“To turn around and ask a chaplain to say something that is diametrically opposed to the very core of his person is like asking a doctor to cease being a doctor and (saying) instead, ‘You’re just going to be a janitor.’ ”

Directive orders chaplains to use “neutral spirituality” instead of prayer

Issued on July 29, CANFORGEN 141/26 (Canadian Armed Forces Military Personnel Instructions 03/26 — Spiritual reflections in military settings) directs padres delivering public remarks to avoid using faith-specific words, rituals or symbols, including prayer.

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“Spiritual reflections do not use religious-specific language, including references to God, etc. They reflect upon lessons learned, beliefs, values and experiences to inspire gratitude, remembrance, hope and integrity,” the directive states.

“These principles are grounded in a respect for freedom of conscience and religious expression, while upholding the dignity and value of diverse spiritual traditions.”

This new directive does not apply to Indigenous ceremonies, which may be included in military settings for “cultural, historical and educational” purposes.

“This approach reflects Canada’s constitutional recognition of Indigenous rights, the historical suppression of Indigenous traditions by the state and an ongoing commitment to reconciliation. It does not constitute an endorsement or advancement of a particular system of belief,” the directive says.

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Issue centres around silencing Abrahamic faiths, Fr. Nelligan says

From a theological standpoint, Fr. Nelligan said spirituality can never be “neutral,” despite what the directive suggests.

“You can call it that all you want. It’s like using ‘woke’ as a forward-thinking ideology,” he said.

“How do you find forward-thinking with a past-tense verb? It makes no sense.”

He said there have been numerous signs at the highest levels of Canada’s military and political leadership that the changes are part of a broader effort by the CAF to eliminate Abrahamic religions from the military chaplaincy.

“That obviously seems to be an underlying goal that’s happening and being played out here,” he said.

“If you want to get rid of people that you don’t want to have around, then you do so by eliminating them from the conversation, and that’s precisely what this policy does.”

Nelligan blamed radical feminist ideologies for the move, arguing that men hold predominant — and in many cases sole — leadership roles in many of those faiths.

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“It’s not just the Catholic Church, but in the vast majority of Protestant denominations — to say nothing of Judaism and Islam — their clerics are all male,” Fr. Nelligan said.

Chaplains of all faiths, he added, serve a vital role in Canada’s military, both at home and on the front lines.

“Whether you’re a Catholic chaplain, or a Protestant chaplain of whatever denomination, or a Jewish rabbi or Muslim imam …. (chaplains) are representatives of the divine. We’re counsellors for them. We’re not social workers, we’re not glorified psychologists — we’re chaplains,” he said.

“We’re the only ones that are on the front lines of the battlefield.”

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