Thousands of people attended the funeral of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, Metropolitan Amfilohije, on November 1 in the Cathedral Church in Podgorica. Although Amfilohije died of coronavirus (COVID-19), many of those present ignored social distancing rules, local media reported.

82-year old Amfilohije died on November 30 weeks after testing positive for coronavirus and being hospitalised. He was treated at the Clinical Center of Montenegro rejecting several offers to be treated in other countries.

The country is facing a spike of new cases, as elsewhere in the region, with 496 new infections and seven deaths reported on November 2.

Most of the people in the Cathedral Church during the ceremony did not wear masks, with prime minister-designate Zdravko Krivokapic as well as other politicians being among them, Danar reported.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and a senior delegation attended the ceremony.

Although Amfilohije passed away after being infected with coronavirus, the casket was open and mourners were allowed to kiss his body.

The Montenegro's Public Health Institute warned that the number of new infections could increase rapidly in the country after thousands of people attended the funeral.

The Liberal Party, an ally of President Milo Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists, said that Krivokapic can no longer be prime minister-designate because, as the party said, he encouraged mass violations of the measures, endangering people's lives, broadcaster RTCG reported.

The measures were also reportedly violated on October 30 in the Clinical Center and in Cetinje Monastery, as well as on October 31 in the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Podgorica.

Amfilohije became more influential amid the tensions between the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro and the government in Podgorica over Montenegro's controversial church law.

It was widely believed that the Serbian Orthodox Church played a key role in the outcome of the August 30 general election in Montenegro when for the first time in three decades Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists did not secure enough votes to form a government. 

The church law, which has sparked tensions between Serbia and Montenegro since December 2019, according to its critics, may strip the Serbian Orthodox Church of hundreds of religious sites in Montenegro, including medieval monasteries and churches.

Two-thirds of Montenegrins are Orthodox Christian and the main church is the Serbian Orthodox Church. A separate Montenegrin Orthodox Church was set up in 1993 but has not been recognised by other Orthodox Christian communities to date.