In Serbia, the authorities and the church agreed on a curfew for Easter
In a telephone conversation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Irinej agreed that the church authorities will support the secular authorities on the issue of restrictions introduced to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
This was reported by the press service of the President of Serbia, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“President Vučić emphasized that he understands the need of the people and the church to celebrate the greatest Christian holiday of the Resurrection of Christ, which the Holy Synod takes care of with faithful and fatherly care,” says a message published on the website of the Serbian President. “However, due to the current epidemiological situation in Serbia, listening to the measures and instructions prescribed by professionals (doctors - epidemiologists - ed.), the authorities cannot lift the ban on movement during the curfew.”
In turn, the head of the SOC, Irenaeus, assured the head of state that after the statement of the Holy Synod, many even officials made inadequate statements, creating a biased information picture of what was happening, which could damage the reputation of both the church and the state.
“The SOC respected and respects the measures and recommendations of the government of the Republic of Serbia,” the Serbian Patriarch said in turn. “And the state has always tried to convey its point of view not in an orderly tone, but with the most benevolent recommendations in the interests of believers of all traditional faiths and religious communities of the Republic of Serbia.”
In turn, Vucic expressed hope that the SOC will continue to show understanding of the actions of the secular authorities, thereby helping to bring closer victory in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. And he congratulated the patriarch and all believers on the upcoming Easter.
Let us recall that earlier the Holy Synod of the SOC appealed to the Serbian government with a call to lift the restriction on the freedom of movement of citizens from 5 to 10 am introduced in connection with the coronavirus epidemic, as well as the ban on citizens over 65 years of age going out on the street, so that “Orthodox Christians who are not in in isolation or self-isolation, could take part in Easter Matins and Liturgy on their greatest holiday.” By the time this appeal was published, the country's leadership had decided to introduce a curfew for Easter from 17:00 to 5:00.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.