Thousands Turn Out In Podgorica To Mourn Head Of Serbian Orthodox Church

Thousands of people turned out on October 31 to pay their respects to the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, who died after being hospitalized following a positive test for the coronavirus.

People gathered in Podgorica as the remains of Metropolitan Amfilohije were transferred from the Cetinje Monastery to the Cathedral of Christ’s Resurrection in Podgorica.

Amfilohije is to be buried in the crypt of the cathedral in Podgorica at his request. The funeral is scheduled to take place on November 1.

The Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro urged those paying their respects to wear masks and maintain distance from one another in compliance with measures to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Metropolitan Amfilohije (1938-2020)

Amfilohije died at the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) early on October 30 at the age of 82.

The church announced his death in a statement but did not give any details on the cause of death. The head of the pulmonology clinic at the KCCG, Jelena Borovinić Bojović, informed the church late on October 29 that Amfilohije’s condition was serious and had deteriorated.

She added that he had been intubated and placed on invasive ventilation as he was suffering from pneumonia brought on by COVID-19.

The Serbian Orthodox Church is the dominant religious organization in Montenegro, a country of 620,000 predominantly Orthodox Christians.

Montenegro split from its larger neighbor Serbia more than a decade ago.