Feuding Serbian bishops convene to discuss leadership

Belgrade - Feuding Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) bishops met Tuesday to discuss their leadership amid uncertainty surrounding the succession of the ailing current Patriarch, Pavle. The 46 bishops of the SPC are divided whether to vote for the new patriarch immediately after they accept Pavle's plea to be relieved of his duties. The patriarch, who turned 94 in September, is stable but remains too frail to leave his hospital room. He was admitted to the Belgrade military hospital last November. One camp in the Sabor, the assembly of the heads of SPC dioceses, wants to elect the new patriarch immediately, while the other wants to delay it at least until the next regular meeting, in May - but probably until Pavle dies. Even if feuding bishops agree when to vote, they must also agree whether to elect their new head directly or - as Pavle was elected - by lottery. In that case, the Sabor votes in rounds until three candidates with the most ballots emerge and the winner is randomly selected from names in an envelope. The conservative wing in the SPC wants to delay the election of the new patriarch and prevent other changes in the church, which has become hugely influential over the past two decades. The reformist camp is led by the oldest and most influential among the bishops, Amfilohije, who said the SPC 'must look in the eyes of reality' and end the hiatus caused by Pavle's absence, as well as adopt other changes. Pavle took the throne in 1990, on the eve of the violent disintegration of former Yugoslavia. Under his reign, the SPC rose from the margins, where it had been during decades of the Socialism, to become one of the most influential factors in Serbian politics. While locally described as a 'walking saint,' Pavle has faced criticism over the SPC's sometimes inflammatory role in Yugoslav conflicts, and its refusal to distance itself from atrocities committed during the wars.