Vucic awarded church Order of New Martyrs

An Instagram post said that Vucic received the Order of the New Martyrs from Bishop Sergije “for charity and great love towards that eparchy and the Rmanj monastery”.

Vucic wrote in the post that he “did not receive this recognition as a personal elevation, but as a seal of spiritual communion and as a testimony that, each of us, in our own place, are called to bear the burden of time together”. “It calls for even greater responsibility. Everything we did, we did for faith, love, and hope for our people and its future,” Vucic said.

The pro-regime Tanjug said that the order was established in memory of Orthodox Christians martryed in the Bihac-Petrovic Bishopric in the 20th century and is awarded to individuals and institutions for contributions to the SPC.

The SPC is viewed as a stronghold of Serb nationalism, especially in Serb-populated areas outside of Serbia.