Eastern Orthodoxy

According to a statement posted on the website of the Serbian Orthodox Church: "Considering that he was in contact with a priest in the previous days who turned out to have a mild and asymptomatic form of COVID-19, His Holiness Patriarch of Serbia Mr. Porfirije will, on the advice of a doctor, be preventively isolated in the coming days".

However, a closer look shows that Putin and Erdogan both see the Ecumenical Patriarchate as an extension of Western influence that threatens their respective political ambitions.

Ukraine as catalyst of Moscow's fury

Orthodox church in Moscow, Russia, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV

The new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church addressed the people gathered.
"I pray to God and I ask all of you to support me so that the great and responsible task that is placed before me, on my weak shoulders, I could present joyfully, as the 46th patriarch, and the 57th leader of our church, I be at least a humble representative," said the new patriarch.

As it was announced from the Serbian Orthodox Church, the liturgy at which the solemn act of enthronement in the holiest throne of His Holiness Porfirije, the Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac and Patriarch of Serbia, will be performed in the St. Michael's Cathedral, starting at 9 am.

Bishops of Serbia's powerful Orthodox Church on Thursday elected Porfirije Peric as their 46th patriarch.

The new Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac and Patriarch of Serbia had previously, since 2014, been Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana.

The liturgy will be led by Metropolitan Chrysostom of Dabar-Bosnia, accompanied by other bishops, who, as the oldest member of the Synod, also has the title of guardian of the throne until a new head is elected.

Before that, at 9 o'clock, a holy liturgy will be held, which is common prior to every assembly, it was confirmed to Tanjug in the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"It was always important for the state to have the support of the Serbian Orthodox Church for its policy, whether domestic or international," he said. "The pressure is not bigger now," Aleksic said, but Vucic's constant presence in the media makes his role appear "most important".

This possibility was announced earlier by the Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia and the guardian of the patriarchal throne of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Chrysostom, in an interview given to Tanjug a few days ago, when he stated that due to the epidemiological situation, the option of holding the Assembly in the Church of St. Sava is being considered.

In fact, German was not elected under the present-day lottery system. The Church introduced the "apostolic vote" only in 1990, precisely to stop the state from meddling in the process.