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The death by coronavirus of two dignitaries of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), Patriarch Irinej and Metropolitan Amfilohije, raises questions about whether some religious institutions are doing enough to stop the spread of the epidemic, writes the American agency Associated Press.
The agency claims that one of them, Patriarch Irinej, passed away a few weeks after leading the funeral and the liturgy at the other’s funeral, at the time of the jump in the number of infected worldwide.
“There are increasing reports of people attending religious services and becoming infected, and some after ignoring calls from church and health officials to wear masks, keep their distance, and respect other steps in the fight against the virus that they took almost 1.4 million lives worldwide, “said AP.
It is added that many believers in Belgrade, while paying homage to Patriarch Irinej, ignored the precautionary measures and that some kissed the glass on the body of the SOC leader, despite warnings from epidemiologists not to do so.
“This followed three weeks after Irinej, 90, led prayers at the funeral of Metropolitan Amfilohije in Montenegro, which was attended by thousands of people, many of whom loved the body in an open casket,” writes AP.
The agency claims that believers did not follow epidemiological guidelines at the time when Serbia reports the highest number of infected people since the beginning of the epidemic and when its healthcare system is overloaded.
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