Orthodox Church Backs Serbia's Bid to Join EU, Opposes Kosovo's Independence

The Serbian Orthodox Church will back the country's bid to join the European Union, but remains opposed to the independence of Kosovo, the new Serbian patriarch said yesterday (January 28,2010).

Patriarch Irinej, 80, was elected last week as head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has an estimated 11 million people of Orthodox background living in Serbia and in other countries, according to the Reuters website.

"We hope that Europe will respect our identity, our cultural heritage, our Orthodox faith and if that's the case, there's no reason for skepticism about the European community," Irinej told a news conference.

Irinej also said the Serbian Orthodox Church would remain opposed to the independence of Kosovo, which seceded from Serbia two years ago. In addition to the European Union, the United Nations, and most nations of the world do not recognize Kosovo as an independent country.