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Moderate elected as Serbian patriarch

The Columbian
Published: January 22, 2010, 12:00am

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The Serbian Orthodox Church says moderate Bishop Irinej Gavrilovic has been elected as the new patriarch.

Irinej, 80, was picked Friday in a lottery-like draw among three candidates who were initially chosen in a secret ballot by 45 Holy Synod bishops.

He is considered a compromise candidate after a power struggle within the influential church between hard-liners and liberals over who will succeed Patriarch Pavle, who died last November after a long illness.

Irinej is the 45th Serbian patriarch.

Pavle, highly popular among some seven million Serbian Orthodox Church followers because of his modesty, died Nov. 15 at the age of 95 after a long illness.

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