Orthodox faithful gather in front of Belgrade church despite ban

 President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej issued a joint statement on Wednesday, calling the faithful to remain home for Easter and not attend church services. Vucic and Irinej spoke by telephone after the Church issued a statement asking the government to lift the curfew for a few hours this coming Sunday to allow believers to attend church services.

The government has extended the weekend curfew from 5:00 pm on Friday to 5:00 am on Tuesday.  

The local priest at the church in Bezanija served mass and used a PA system to call the faithful to enter the church one by one to kiss the central icon.