November 22, thousands of people attended the funeral of Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinie, during which they ignored the epidemic prevention regulations. Many people did not wear masks and even used the same set of tableware to eat. On the 20th, Irigne died of COVID-19.
According to the Associated Press on the 22nd, thousands of mourners and priests attended the funeral of Patriarch Irine at the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. Most mourners did not comply with the epidemic prevention regulations. They kissed the glass cover on Irigne’s body without a mask, and even used only one spoon during the Eucharist.
Serbian Orthodox Cathedrals require mourners to keep their distance and wear masks, but the priests in the church also do not wear masks. Serbian epidemiologists say they can’t ban traditional funeral prayers.
Irigne has considerable political influence in the Balkans and is known for his criticism of Western Balkan policy and close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Irini attended the funeral of another priest in Montenegro three weeks ago, who also died of the novel coronavirus. During the funeral, mourners reportedly kissed the body of the priest in an open coffin.
On the morning of the 19th, the Serbian Orthodox Church announced that the health of Patriarch Irini had deteriorated, and he had been admitted to the Belgrade Military Hospital on the 4th. On the 20th, Serbian President Vučić uploaded a black-and-white photo of the patriarch on his social networking website and wrote, “It’s my honor to know you. People like you will never leave.
In Serbia, with a population of about 7 million, thousands of new cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed every day, and more than 100,000 cases have been confirmed.
