Patriarch Irinej Dies at 91, Head of Serbian Orthodox Church Had COVID-19
The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, died on Friday at Karaburma military hospital. He was 91.
Karaburma, November 20: The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, died on Friday at Karaburma military hospital. He was 91. Patriarch Irinej was receiving treatment after he had tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said. His condition had deteriorated yesterday.
"It was an honour for me to know you. People like you never leave," President Vucic wrote on Instagram sharing a black-and-white photo of the patriarch. In April, Patriarch Irinej had held the Easter liturgy at midnight without believers because of restrictions aimed at suppressing the spread of the coronavirus. Serbia recently announced new restrictions and asked stores and service centres to close every day until morning.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the total number of COVID-19 cases in Serbia since the beginning of the pandemic has almost reached 98,000, with 1,081 deaths.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2020 03:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).