Ethnic tensions flare up in Montenegro over church ceremony
Podgorica, Montenegro AP Protesters clashed with hundreds of riot police in the old capital of Montenegro on Saturday, setting up blockades of tyres and large rocks ahead of the inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the small Balkan nation. The ceremony planned for Sunday in Cetinje has angered opponents of […]
Montenegrins protest inauguration of new Serbian church head
Cetinje, Montenegro AP Several thousand people demonstrated Sunday in Montenegro over the planned inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the small Balkan state. Ethic tensions have soared over the scheduled ceremony for Metropolitan Bishop Joanikije II. The protesters in Montenegro’s former capital, Cetinje, where the 5th September inauguration is to […]
Serbian Orthodox Church picks ally of president as Patriarch
Belgrade, SerbiaAP Serbian Orthodox Church bishops elected an ally of the country’s populist president Thursday as the new leader who is succeeding the church Patriarch who died after contracting the coronavirus. Bells tolled on the sprawling Saint Sava Temple in Belgrade where senior Serbian bishops met to announce Metropolitan Porfirije as the new patriarch of […]
Montenegro lawmakers change religious law opposed by church
Podgorica, Montenegro AP Montenegro’s new, pro-Serb authorities have amended a law on religious rights and property that was passed by a previous government but was strongly opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church, which led months of protests against the bill. The parliament early Tuesday approved the legislative changes with 41 votes in the 81-member assembly. […]
Protests erupt against new Montenegro government over religion law
Podgorica, MontenegroAP Several thousand people rallied Monday in Montenegro, accusing the young country’s new government of being pro-Serb because of its plans to amend a religious property law that is strongly opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Carrying Montenegrin flags and chanting “Treason”, protesters gathered outside the parliament building in Podgorica, the capital, where lawmakers […]
Virus deaths of senior Serb, Greek religious leaders triggers alarm
Belgrade, Serbia/Athens, GreeceAP After the two most senior Serbian Orthodox Church leaders died within a month after testing positive with the coronavirus, health experts and even hardcore believers are starting to worry. The spread of the virus within the largest religious group in the Balkans is getting more alarming by the day. A senior Orthodox […]
COVID-19 deaths of Serbian clerics highlight virus worries
AP As coronavirus cases surge globally, the COVID-19 deaths of two senior Serbian Orthodox Church clerics – one who died weeks after presiding over the funeral of the other – are raising questions about whether some religious institutions are doing enough to slow the spread of the virus. More reports are emerging about people who […]
Serbian Church leader dies after contracting COVID-19
Belgrade, SerbiaAP The leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, who often criticised Western policies toward Serbia and urged close relations with Slavic ally Russia, has died after testing positive for the coronavirus, the church said Friday. He was 90. A brief church statement said that the Patriarch died shortly after 7am on Friday […]
Head of Serbian Orthodox Church in hospital with coronavirus
Belgrade, Serbia AP The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church has been hospitalized after testing positive for the new coronavirus, days after leading prayers at a large public funeral for the head of the church in Montenegro, who died after contracting the virus. The Serbian Orthodox Church said late Wednesday that the 90-year-old Patriarch Irinej […]
Thousands mourn death of Montenegro bishop amid virus fears
Podgorica, MontenegroAP Thousands of people on Saturday poured into the streets in Montenegro despite soaring coronavirus infections to mourn the death of the top Serbian Orthodox Church bishop in the country. Huge crowds gathered around the main church in the capital, Podgorica, where the body of Bishop Amfilohije was brought in an open casket ahead […]