Irinej

This decision was made by the Holy Synod of Bishops as the supreme canonical authority in the Church, authorized to schedule sessions of the highest church body.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vui, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, visited the Temple of Saint Sava in Vraar, where they laid flowers on the grave of the recently deceased Patriarch Irinej.

The funeral of SPC Patriarch Irinej caused the most controversy, and when asked to comment on the event and whether the measures of the Crisis Staff were respected, Dr Kon said that, based on what he saw on television, it is quite certain that the measures were not fully respected.

Serbs no longer go in for eerie "penetrating wails" as much as they did, but, as with Firmilian's death over a century ago, Patriarch Irinej's death last Friday is an event of much more than religious significance - which explains the three days of state mourning and telegrams from the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Serbs lined the streets of Belgrade to pay homage to the late Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej for his funeral on Sunday, despite the spike in COVID-19 infections across the country.

Irinej tested positive for the coronavirus and was admitted to hospital in Belgrade on November 4. His condition worsened on November 15 and he passed away on November 20, aged 90.

"His God was the God of reason, the one who forgives, understands and loves. God of all of us, the one who does not divide, but unites. Love was the basis of his faith because he knew that faith and hope are impossible without love. His Serbia was the one he was creating. A Serbia of peace, which understands and gathers, which wins through work and wisdom," Vucic said.

A liturgy was served in the central part of the temple, where the body of Patriarch Irinej was exhibited. The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Bosnia, Hristozom, served the liturgy, which was attended by the bishops and 16 priests.

"It will be discussed today and tomorrow, the decision has not been made yet. It is motivated by the need to protect the country when it comes to epidemiological reasons," he says, adding that the government will discuss it today, and that it will be a topic of tomorrow's Crisis Staff meeting.

He assessed the meeting on all important national topics as good.

He appealed to Djukanovic to "consider his actions."
The Patriarch said that even during the Ottoman Empire and during communism, the authorities had much more respect for the Serbian Orthodox Church, "compared to today."