Serbia's Orthodox Church to change name to stress Kosovo link

FILE PHOTO: Serbian patriarch Irinej (C) walks in front of the St. Sava temple on Orthodox Christmas Eve in Belgrade, Serbia, January 6, 2017. Serbian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas on January 7, according to the Julian calendar. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

BELGRADE (Reuters) - The Serbian Orthodox Church plans to change its name to stress its link with Kosovo, Serbia's ex-southern province that won independence in 2008, in a move seen as opposition to Belgrade's efforts to mend ties with Pristina.

Serbian public life is secular but the Orthodox Church wields considerable conservative, at times nationalist, influence, not only in Serbia but in neighbouring countries with Serb minorities such as Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.