On June 28, 2024 Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Holy See H.E. Sima Avramović received by Pope Francis the Order of Pius IX Magna Croce Equitem Ordinis Piani. It is the highest decoration conferred by the Vatican on laypersons as a papal order of knighthood

The ceremony was performed by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs, who delivered the decoration to eleven ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. The ceremony was held in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican State Secretariat headquarters.