Serb Patriarch Pavle dies

Patriarch Pavle, who led Serbia’s Christian Orthodox Church through its post-Communist revival and called for peace and conciliation during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s but failed to openly condemn Serb nationalism, died today. He was 95.

There have been reports of an internal struggle over who would succeed Pavle, a respected theologian and linguist known for personal humility and modesty. The favourite is influential Bishop Amfilohije, a hard-liner known for his anti-Western and ultra-nationalist stands.