Solemn Academy on the Occasion of Chaplain Service Day
Tuesday, 14.11.2023 | Culture and traditions
On the occasion of the Chaplain Service Day and the 10th anniversary of its introduction into the Serbian Armed Forces, a solemn academy was held tonight at the Army House in Belgrade, which was attended by the Minister of Defense Miloš Vučević, Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović and His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije.
On that occasion, at the suggestion of the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Defense awarded commemorative military medals for contribution to the defense system to the most deserving chaplain officers.
The Chief of the Human Resources Directorate (J-1) of the General Staff, Brigadier General Savo Iriškić, spoke about the history and significance of the chaplain service and pointed out that the chaplain service in the Serbian Armed Forces is based on the Law on the Serbian Armed Forces and reminded that its introduction enabled an elementary human right, the freedom of religion for all members of our military.
He reminded that the beginnings of the chaplain service are linked to the Army of the Principality of Serbia, which, in addition to the Orthodox military priests, also had a certain number of military imams and military rabbis, and all recognized churches and religious communities had the right to their own clergy.
The solemn academy was also attended by members of the collegium of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff, the Military Cabinet Chief of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Brigadier General Predrag Kraljević, representatives of religious communities and numerous guests.
The Day of Chaplain Service is celebrated on November 12 in commemoration of the day when in 1839, with the passing of the Military Law, the performance of chaplain service in the Army of the Principality of Serbia was defined for the first time.
