BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – The Serbian Orthodox Church said Friday its head, Patriarch Pavle, has offered his resignation for health reasons.
The church said on its Web site that Pavle, 94, has asked its top body, the Holy Synod, to release him from his duties at its next meeting on Nov. 11.
Pavle has been hospitalized for months, suffering from heart and lung problems.
A respected theologian and linguist also known for personal humility and modesty, Pavle took over the church leadership in 1990, just as the collapse of communism ended years of state policy of repressing religion.
The Patriarch's relationship with Slobodan Milosevic during the decade-long rule of Serbia's autocratic leader was often controversial, with the church at times appearing to support Milosevic's nationalist, militaristic policies.
But Pavle played a major role in Milosevic's ouster in 2000 by supporting the pro-democracy forces that toppled the former Serbian leader in a popular revolt.
Pavle's sometimes moderate policies have come under scrutiny from hardliners within the church, with nationalist priests likely to take over after the Holy Synod meeting.
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