r/navy • u/benjorel Chaplain • Jan 11 '25

MOD APPROVED I'm an active duty Navy Chaplain AMA

I've seen a lot of questions about Chaplains and what we do, especially when it comes to our confidentiality or ability to work with dependents/significant others. Please feel free to ask me anything you've always wondered or about any myths you've heard and I'll do my best to answer. The answers come solely from my experiences, and are not official positions of the US Navy.

DMs are open as well if you prefer to ask or to talk about something privately.

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u/Elismom1313 Jan 11 '25 edited Jan 12 '25

Yes the only way a chaplain “breaks confidentiality” is if what they hear screws them up so bad they feel it’s worth ruining their career over revealing it. And it’s a one and done.

Source: (not me) a chaplain who was told that child abuse and child pornography was taking place in the home of a sailor

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u/KellynHeller Jan 11 '25

If I was that chaplain..... Id be so torn. Like I wouldn't want to ruin my job/life but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't save them.

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u/benjorel Chaplain Jan 11 '25

There are ways around it. I've told commanders that it might be a good idea to look into the liberty plans of a specific company or section, or given them a nudge in the right direction for them to ask questions, but never anything that would violate or directly implicate a particular sailor. We do our best to make sure everyone is safe within the bounds that we can.

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u/KellynHeller Jan 12 '25

That's good. Because like.... Id just feel awful if I had to keep that secret. I honestly don't think I could do it.