Serbian Orthodox Church Plans To Change Name: Report

The patriarchate of Pec (Peje in Albanian). Photo: Wikimedia/Adam Jones.

The Serbian church will change its name to incorporate the words 'Patriarchate of Pec' as part of its new constitution, which should be adopted in May, Serbian daily newspaper Vecernje Novosti reported on Tuesday. 

"The existing constitution, in many of its parts, is obsolete and almost unenforceable. The last major revision of it was done in 1947… Over time, it became unsystematic, difficult to read and to apply," Vecernje Novosti quoted an unnamed source from the church as saying.

The newspaper's source said the move was also intended to "strengthen relationships" with Kosovo.

Many of the most significant Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches lie in Kosovo, including the patriarchal complex in Pec/Peje and the monastery churches in Gracanica and Decani/Decan, which are on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Belgrade accuses Pristina of not looking after them properly and of colluding in the destruction of some sites.

According to tradition, the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church is enthroned in Pec/Peja as well as in Belgrade because his official title is Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci.

According to Vecernje Novosti, the new constitution will also change the way the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church is elected. 

"Patriarchs will be chosen in the future by the Election Council, unanimously or with a required two-thirds majority of the members of this body," reported the newspaper, which said it has seen the document.

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church is currently elected by a lottery-style system involving a blind selection of one of three envelopes containing the names of the candidates. 

The new constitution, if...

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