In Montenegro, Serbian Orthodox Bishop Amfilohije Radovic has been buried under great public interest. He died on Friday at the age of 82 from the consequences of a corona infection. It was so busy at the funeral in the capital Podgorica that, according to local media, almost no one adhered to the corona rules.
Doctors had urged authorities not to lay Radovic in an open coffin. That happened anyway, with the result that many believers came to the coffin to touch or even kiss the body of the bishop. Most of them didn’t wear mouth masks and keeping their distance was impossible.
Milosevic and Karadzic
Radovic was not only a spiritual leader, but also participated in the political debate in Montenegro for decades. He was known for being pro-Russian and anti-Western. In the Yugoslavian civil war in the 1990s, Radovic took his position behind Serbian President Milosevic and Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic, who was born in Montenegro himself.
Radovic fiercely opposed when Montenegro wanted to secede from Serbia, much to the chagrin of Prime Minister Djukanovic, the current president. Despite this, in 2006 the population voted for independence by a narrow majority.
‘Wicked’
Radovic was also at odds with the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. It was created in 1993 and was recognized by the government, but not by the other Orthodox Christian churches. About 30 percent of the Christians in Montenegro switched to the new church, the rest remained loyal to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Radovic called the Montenegrin Orthodox Church ungodly.
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