Police clash with opponents of Serbian church in Montenegro

Hundreds of protesters confronted police in Cetinje ahead of the inauguration of Mitropolitan Joanikije as head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro (Risto Bozovic/AP)

Riot police used tear gas on protesters who fired gunshots in the air and hurled bottles and stones before the planned inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro on Sunday.

The ceremony in Cetinje, a former capital of the small Balkan nation, has angered opponents of the Serbian church in Montenegro, which declared independence from neighbouring Serbia in 2006.