From the army to the presidency and Serbia’s schools, Orthodox Christian rituals are becoming increasingly common in state institutions, even though they are officially secular.
The encroachment of religion into Serbia’s officially secular state institutions has drawn criticism after the Serbian Army command celebrated St George as its patron saint for the first time on Sunday, in the presence of Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin.
“[St George] was what you here are at present – a high-ranking officer in what was then the Roman army. This gives us [Serbs] hope of survival, despite all the misfortune and hostility surrounding us,” the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, told officers at a service to mark the occasion.
Critics argue that state institutions celebrating Orthodox Christian holidays with religious rituals represents a breach of the Serbian.
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