Europe News

Oct 24, 2008, 13:52 GMT

Patriarch Pavle resigns as head of Serbian church

Belgrade - The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Patriarch Pavle, has resigned owing to poor health, the SPC said on its website Friday. The Holy Synod, the SPC government, said Pavle requested to be relieved when the church assembly takes place on November 11. Pavle, 94, has not left his room in the Belgrade military hospital since November. However, despite his frail, if stable condition, he earlier refused pressure to step down. His condition spurred influential bishops to begin jockeying for the throne, with the conservative head of the Montenegrin diocese, Amfilohije, regarded as the likeliest candidate. Pavle's resignation now paves the way for the election of the new patriarch when the SPC assembly convenes. During Pavle's reign, which started in 1990, on the eve of the violent disintegration of former Yugoslavia, the SPC rose from the margins, where it has been during decades of the Socialism, to one of the most influential factors in Serbian politics. While locally described as a 'walking saint,' he did face criticism over the SPC sometimes inflammatory role in Yugoslav conflicts.

And Also

Look Back at the Worst Celebrity Breakups

Look Back at the Worst Celebrity Breakups - PopEater
360 Live support now available via Apple App Store - The Tech Herald
Avatar Jumps From 60 Minutes To MTV - Cinema Blend
Guide to Avoiding Red Carpet Faux Pas - PopEater
A&E series 'Hoarders' and 'Intervention' premiere Monday, Nov. 30th, preview

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Patriarch buried, divided church faces challenges (News Feature)
Serbian church asks ailing patriarch to stay at helm
Serbian bishops won't allow ailing patriarch to step down (Roundup)
Feuding Serbian bishops convene to discuss leadership
No love lost between neighbouring Balkan churches (Feature)

Latest Headlines in Europe

Older Talkback

Europe: Index

: News; Features; Video News

Latest Pics

From Sites we Like

British officials spend two years and $500,000 on study proving that 10-pin bowling is a health and safety hazard and should be banned [Asinine]
New Zealand church fined for using cell phone jammers so people's phones don't go off during services. Tag is for the church [Hero]

More Not News from Fark

In Monsters and Critics

: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Lifestyle; Movies; Music; News; People; Science & Nature; Sport; TV; Archives
Other Languages and Sites: Deutschland (Monsters and Critics); The Tech Herald; Free Games

Entertainment: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Movies; Music; People; Soundtracks; TV
Media: Celebrity Photos; Movie Pictures; Movie Trailers; Movie Posters; Theatre Stills; Celebrity Video; Music Video
Released this week: Movies - USA; Movies - UK; DVD - USA
Distractions: Online Games; Daily Crossword; Sudoku Classic; Daily Jigsaw

World News: US; UK; Americas; Europe; Middle East; Asia Pacific; South Asia; Africa; Business; Education; Health
Science and Tech: Science and Nature; Technology
Lifestyle: Autos; Fashion; Life; Travel

Corporate

: About; Advertise; Contact; The Team; Vacancies; Privacy; RSS; Site Map; Terms; Webmasters

The Fine Print

© 2003 - 2009 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.

Servers supplied by Servint