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Porfirije, 59, Serbia's 46th Patriarch is seen as a modernist
inside the conservative church. He is the successor to Patriarch
Irinej, who died in November from COVID-19 at the age of 90.
Porfirije will lead a church of about 12 million people in
Serbia, the other five former Yugoslav republics, Kosovo, and
dioceses in the United States, Australia and Western Europe.
Flanked by bishops in their ornate robes, Porfirije was handed
over a crosier, a stylized staff that is a symbol of his office
and a white stiff hat.
Another part of the enthronement will be Porfirije's takeover of
the throne at the Pec monastery in Kosovo, the medieval seat of
Serbian Orthodox patriarchs and it is expected in the coming
weeks.
In a sermon, Porfirije said that Kosovo, Serbia's former
southern province, mainly populated by Albanians, would remain
in the focus of the church's policies.
"Kosovo is for us ... an umbilical cord that links us with the
essence of our identity," he said.
Serbs and their church regard Kosovo as the cradle of their
Orthodox Christianity and it is the home to some of their most
important religious sites.
Belgrade lost control over Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombed its
forces to end a bloody counterinsurgency against Albanians
there.
The church and the government in Belgrade enjoy the backing of
Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally, in
their refusal to recognise independent Kosovo.
Serbia is a European Union membership candidate, but before it
joins the bloc, it must mend ties with Kosovo and allow it to
join international bodies, including the United Nations.
Most in the crowd, including Porfirije, did not wear face masks,
despite a surge in coronavirus infections in the country.
(Reporting Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by)
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