59-year-old Metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana Porfirije Peric becomes head of Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church has elected Bishop Porfirije Peric as its 46th head.
The bells of Belgrade's St. Sava Temple rang as Serbian Orthodox Church officials gathered in the crypt to elect a new patriarch after the previous head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, died in November 2020 due to COVID-19.
In a statement on Thursday, the church said the new patriarch was elected from three candidates in a secret ballot held with the participation of 36 bishops.
Porfirije, who has undertaken different duties within the church, has served as the Metropolit of Zagreb Ljubljana since 2014.
The Serbian Orthodox Church has paid a heavy price for flouting restrictions amid the pandemic by losing prominent figures.
Thousands of people attended the funeral of Metropolitan Amfilohije Radovic, spreading the coronavirus to Serbia and Montenegro. He died on Oct. 30, 2020, due to COVID-19.
Soon after, Bishop David, who led the funeral, also tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized.
Other senior leaders of the church -- Bishop Artemije, Bishop Milutin and Archpriest Josifov -- also died of the virus. Many others tested positive for the virus.
