22.01.2025.
Minister Gašić meets with Military Bishop Dositej
Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić met today with Bishop of Lipljan and Military Bishop kyr Dositej, with whom he spoke about the chaplaincy service in the Serbian Armed Forces, its significance and activities.
At the meeting, Minister Gašić noted that under the Law on the Armed Forces, members of the Serbian Armed Forces are entitled to one of the basic human rights, the right to freedom of religion. - Our service members participate in the chaplaincy service’s activities based on their personal convictions and of their own free will while respecting their military responsibilities. As regards the chaplaincy service, it has made a substantial contribution to strengthening our service members’ moral and spiritual values. The cooperation between the two institutions, the Serbian Armed Forces and the Serbian Orthodox Church, which are the top two most trusted institutions in our country, is at a high level and I believe that it will remain so in the future – said Minister Gašić.
By signing the Decree on the Performance of Religious Services in the Serbian Armed Forces in 2011, practicing religion within the military organization was permitted. The restoration of the chaplaincy service in the Serbian Armed Forces started on August 1, 2013, when the first military priests, an imam and a chaplain took up their duties in the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and began their spiritual service.