The Serbian Orthodox Church on Friday elected a new leader seen as open to modernisation at a time the country is seeking a future with the European Union, the media in Belgrade reported.
Bishop Irinej Gavrilovic, from the central Serbian town of Nis, will be the45th patriarch and successor to Patriarch Pavle, who died last November at theage of 95, the Belgrade-based Patriarchate said in a statement.
Irinej was one of the closest associates of the late Patriarch Pavle.
