Serbia’s minister for religion has dismissed fears that a proposed religion law will discriminate against religious minorities, saying his government will do its best to provide religious freedom for all its citizens. Professor Vojislav Milovanovic made his comments at an August 29 meeting in Belgrade with a delegation from the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA). 

The meeting was an important step toward regular consultation with the new government and comes at a crucial time of political transition, said Dr. Radisa Antic, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Yugoslavia, who also attended the meeting.

For the past six years, the position of religious organizations in Serbia has been uncertain. Following the 1993 repeal of communist laws regulating religion, religious groups gained legal status by registering as “citizen’s associations.” A 1995 Supreme Court ruling closed this option and religious groups have, since then, been unable to register as legal entities. 

Discussion at last week’s meeting focused on a draft religion law that some believe singles out certain religious groups for special treatment. The preamble of the proposed law reportedly names the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, Lutherans, Reformed Churches, and Islamic and Jewish groups, as having a “historical and traditional” position in Serbian society. Under the law, these groups would participate in the religious education program that will soon be introduced into state-run schools.

At the meeting, Antic said he regretted the preamble “makes a difference between religions,” saying the ideal would be to have all religions and churches on the same level.

“No citizen should feel marginalized or discriminated against for being a member of a religious minority,” said Dr. John Graz, IRLA secretary general, who attended the meeting along with IRLA legal advisor, Mitchell Tyner. 

Boris Milosavljevic, deputy minister for religious affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, believes that despite the preamble, the proposed religion law will not be discriminatory. Speaking at a religious liberty conference outside Belgrade, Milosavljevic said churches not listed in the preamble will have no trouble registering or re-registering under the new law.

The conference, held August 29 to September 1 at St. Nicholas Soko Orthodox monastery, was organized in part by the IRLA. It brought together a diverse group from Serbia’s religious community, including representatives from the Adventist, Orthodox, Baptist, and Roman Catholic churches, along with leaders from Belgrade’s Jewish synagogues and the Islamic community.

“Everything that can make people from different faiths talk together is a real step toward peace and reconciliation,” said Serbian-born Martin Selak, an Adventist businessman from Chicago, United States, who was one of the event’s core organizers.

Graz said he hoped the meeting would mark “a significant milestone” for inter-faith cooperation and understanding in Serbia. “The IRLA is proud to have played a role in it,” he said. The IRLA was founded in 1893 by Adventist Church leaders and has developed into a non-sectarian organization dedicated to promoting religious civil rights around the world.