Serbian Church leader dies after contracting COVID-19
The leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, who often criticized 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 7 a.m. Friday in a Belgrade military hospital and that the funeral arrangements will be announced soon.
Bells on churches throughout Serbia tolled and mourners flocked to light candles as the government proclaimed three days of national mourning.
The patriarch was hospitalized with the virus early in November, soon after attending the funeral of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, Bishop Amfilohije, who also died from complications caused by the COVID-19 infection.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/serbian-church-leader-dies-contracting-074746567.html