Bulletproof Monk

Well, isn't this an interesting twist.

Greek Orthodox priests and monks will soon be trading their cassocks for military uniforms after the ministry of defence adopted a motion wherby members of the church can now be called upon for national service, the army said here on Friday.

"The idea for priests and monks to play a greater role in society by fulfilling their obligations to it will help them develop and mature," a Greek Orthodox leader told AFP.

Greek men are obliged to complete 12 months of national service but members of religious orders have so far been exempt from this duty.

The powerful Greek Orthodox Church suggested the move itself after being shaken by a series of corruption scandals that have seen its popularity dwindle. It therefore embarked on a "self-purification" drive in February.

The Orthodox Church, reputed for its nationalism, lobbied against the establishment of an alternative civilian national service that came into being in 1997 under pressure from the EU, but judged as punitive by Amnesty International.

Is it just me, or is that last paragraph/sentence very poorly written?

Thoughts?