Reading the Bible will help stop war crimes, says Serbian officer

Colonel Sasha Milutinovic says that reading the New Testament will help educate troops in moral standards. Bible Society/Clare Kendall

More than 4,000 New Testaments are being given to the Serbian army, according to a senior military figure.

The New Testaments will be handed out to soldiers over the coming months.

Colonel Sasha Milutinovic, the Serbian army's Chief of Religion Section, said that reading them would "improve respect for the enemy".

"I hope as a result of this we will never see a war crime in the Serbian Army again," he said.

"In the past we made some mistakes. But now we not only want to improve our morals but to come back to faith in eternal life and to eternal values."

The New Testaments have been produced by Bible Society and will be distributed free later this year. It is hoped that, in time, all 33,000 members of the Serbian Armed Forces will receive a copy.

The General Secretary of the Bible Society of Serbia, Vera Mitic, welcomed the move.

"Soldiers can learn a lot about military service from the Bible," she said. "I strongly believe that the Bible should be a spiritual and moral guide for our soldiers."

She added that she hoped the scheme would inspire other Bible Societies in the Balkans to provide Bibles to their armies.

Serbian forces were responsible for atrocities during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, among them the massacre at Srebrenica.

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims died in the three-day massacre, the worst in Europe since the end of the Second World War.

The former head of the Serbian Army, Ratko Mladic, is currently on trial at the Hague for war crimes.

Earlier this year a judge at the Hague upheld charges against five former Serbian Army officers for their role in the killings.

related articles
Migrants in Austria: How a Syrian church in Vienna is helping victims of the bloody civil war
Migrants in Austria: How a Syrian church in Vienna is helping victims of the bloody civil war

Migrants in Austria: How a Syrian church in Vienna is helping victims of the bloody civil war

Five reasons why Paula Gooder is going to influence your theology
Five reasons why Paula Gooder is going to influence your theology

Five reasons why Paula Gooder is going to influence your theology

New \'dyslexia-friendly\' Bible makes scripture accessible for all
New 'dyslexia-friendly' Bible makes scripture accessible for all

New 'dyslexia-friendly' Bible makes scripture accessible for all

News
Church of England bishops were right to halt same-sex blessing plans - Bishop of Winchester 
Church of England bishops were right to halt same-sex blessing plans - Bishop of Winchester 

The Bishop of Winchester has defended the recent decision of the House of Bishops to pause plans to introduce standalone same-sex blessing services. 

Protecting girls and young women in the digital age
Protecting girls and young women in the digital age

It’s a missional priority for us as Christian communities to have open discussions about both the benefits and downsides of being online.

Rev Dr Richard Turnbull: former principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
Rev Dr Richard Turnbull: former principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

Richard Turnbull brought an unusual combination of skills to his life’s work. He died on 26 October, aged 65, having been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Church-run shop volunteers receive prestigious award for decades of service
Church-run shop volunteers receive prestigious award for decades of service

The local area suffered significantly after the closure of the Ravenscraig Steel Works.