Pavle je došao na čelo crkve 1990, u vrijeme kad je njena moć bila smanjena nakon dugog perioda komunističke vladavine i kad su ratovi u bivšoj Jugoslaviji tek počinjali.
Pavle arrived at the helm of the church in 1990, at a time when its power was diminished after the long period of communist rule and when the wars in the former Yugoslavia were just beginning.