Towards the Advancement of the Religious Ministry in the Army of Serbia

The Minister of Defense, Mr. Aleksandar Vulin attended the 3rd Festival of Christian Culture in Zajecar, Serbia, on October 6, 2018 and, accompanied by some high-ranking officers of the Serbian Armed Forces visited the Cathedral church.

The Minister then had a meeting with Bishop Ilarion of the Timok (Eastern Serbia), who is in charge of ministry of the Orthodox military priests in the Ministry of Defense and in the Army of Serbia. On this occasion, Minister Vulin pointed out that the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia had been paying great attention to the religious ministry.

“All religious confessions are equal in our country and are equally represented in the Army. All of the enjoy great respect on the side of the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia. The Serbian Orthodox Church, as the pillar of our people and as one who not only has preserved the spirituality of our people, but also those traditions that have made us great and worthy, is one of the most important partners of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces,” said the Minister of Defense and emphasized that the defense system would continue to develop religious ministry and  that it planned to increase the number of military chaplains.

The Minister of Defense added that the Serbian Army expressed a great respect for the Serbian Orthodox Church and all that that she had done and was doing to preserve our people and our traditions, adding that it is certain that cooperation between the Army and the Serbian Orthodox Church would continue to develop.

“Today that we celebrate the feast of the Conception of St. John and the day of appearance of the Most Holy Mother of God in Zajecar in 1944, when the Holy Mother of God protected the city from bombing. At the same time, today we conclude the Festival of Christian Culture, and we are honored to have the military personnel here, with Minister Alexander Vulin,” said His Grace Ilarion, who is Bishop Liaison with the Holy Synod of the Serbian Church, and pointed out that he would work diligently in order to improve co-operation with the Army.

Source: The Ministry of Defense