Macedonian Premier calls on Serbian Patriarch to find a solution on “MOC”
Zoran Zaev proposed to Patriarch Porfirije to enter into a dialogue with the schismatic “Macedonian Church” with the ultimate goal of its recognition.
Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev appealed to the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije (Peric) to “find a solution” with the schismatic “Macedonian Orthodox Church” and start a dialogue “with the ultimate goal of its recognition,” reports the Greek resource Romfea.
The Prime Minister of Macedonia said they had already addressed Patriarch Bartholomew on recognizing the "Macedonian Church". “We also appealed to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, but through dialogue we see hope and a solution between the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church with the ultimate goal of recognizing the former,” said the head of government.
He also noted that in his country there are a lot of temples of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which are visited by parishioners of Serbian communities. “We are Orthodox, we are fraternal peoples, and we can find a solution,” Zaev said.
Let us recall that the Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid is an autonomous Church within the Serbian Orthodox Church, operating in the territory of North Macedonia. The archdiocese, which is the only canonical jurisdiction in the country, does not have state registration and exists amid constant opposition from the authorities, which support the schismatic “Macedonian Orthodox Church” and seek autocephaly for this “church” from Phanar.
As reported by the UOJ, the Ohrid Archdiocese pointed to the Phanar's attempt to destroy the unity of the Church.
