Macedonian Orthodox Church
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| 1The MOC claims continuity with historical Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid, an autonomous Eastern Orthodox Church under the tutelage of the Patriarch of Constantinople, which existed between 1019 and 1767, but the claims are not recognized by other Orthodox churches. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Macedonian Orthodox Church or MOC (in Macedonian: Македонска Православна Црква or МПЦ) is an Eastern Orthodox Church in the Republic of Macedonia. The church is consisted of 10 dioceses (seven in the country and three abroad), 10 bishops and a number of priests. The Macedonian Orthodox Church celebrates its feasts according to the Julian calendar (old style) and services are held in Macedonian or in Old Church Slavonic language. The church declares itself to be autocephalous. It separated from the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1967. Its self-proclaimed autocephaly is not officially recognized by other Orthodox churches.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins
In 1019 a Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid was established within the borders of the former Bulgaria. In 1767 the Archbishopric was abolished by the Turkish authorities and annexed to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Efforts were made in 19 and the first part of 20 century to restore the Archdiocese, and in 1870-74 it became part of the Bulgarian Exarchate until 1913. As Vardar Macedonia became part of Serbia after World War I, since 1918 and before the World War II several of the Bulgarian Exarchate's dioceses became part of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Macedonian Orthodox Church claims to be the restored Ohrid Archbishopric, although these claims are not recognized by any other Orthodox Churches.
[edit] Struggle for autocephaly
In March 1945, the People's Republic of Macedonia was created as one of republics of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, governed by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. In 1944, in Skopje, a Resolution of Archdiocese of Ohrid restoration as Macedonian Orthodox Church was submitted to the Serbian Orthodox Church who had since 1919 been the sole titulary. This resolution was rejected, but a later one, submitted in 1958, proposing the Ohrid Archdiocese of Saint Clement as a Macedonian Orthodox Church was accepted (June 17, 1959) under strong pressure from the Communist authorities. Dositheus was appointed the first archbishop. The Macedonian Orthodox Church at that time only held autonomous status.
Serbian Orthodox Church agreed with these decisions in the resolution AS. No 47/1959 and 6/1959, minutes 57 of June 17/4, 1959. That agreement was celebrated in a common liturgy by the Macedonian priests and the Serbian Patriarch German in 1959 in Skopje, as a sign that Serbian church recognizes an autonomy of the Macedonian church. In 1962 Serbian Patriarch German and Russian Patriarch Alexis visited the Macedonian Orthodox Church. On the feast of Saints Methodius and Cyril in Ohrid two patriarchs and the Macedonian Metropolitan Dositej concelebrated Holy Liturgy as the first liturgy of the head of the Macedonian church with heads of other Orthodox churches.
During the Third Clergy and Laity Assembly on July 19, 1967, in Ohrid, the Macedonian Orthodox Church was self-proclaimed as autocephalous, which was the official public will of the people in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia.
Many Orthodox Churches admit the faithful of the Macedonian Orthodox Church to communion. The hierarchy of some Churches serve with the priests of MOC, but will not serve liturgically with the hierarchy of MOC. Some also recognise the need for MOC clergy to be able to serve with hierarchs from outside MOC, and to provide an open channel for the resolution of various pastoral problems MOC clergy cannot resolve within MOC. [citation needed]
[edit] Relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church
Since the breakup of Yugoslavia and the end of Communist repression of the Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church has been in conflict with the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which has yet to gain recognition from the Patriarchate of Constantinople or any other autocephalous church. The issue of dispute is the method used to gain autocephaly, the issue of the Serb Orthodox minority (according to the last census, there are 40,000 citizens of the country declared as Serbs) and the question of some hundreds of Serb Orthodox shrines from the medieval Nemanjić period.
The two Churches had been negotiating the details of a compromise agreement reached in Niš, Serbia in 2002, which would have given the Macedonians de facto independent status just short of canonical autocephaly. The agreement was signed and agreed upon by three Bishops in the Macedonian Orthodox Church (Metropolitan Petar of Australia, Metropolitan Timotej of Debar and Kicevo; and Metropolitan Naum of Strumica). After political officials exerted pressure on the clergy of the MOC for accepting the agreement, the Bishops later reneged on the agreement, leaving only Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid (secular name Zoran Vraniškovski) from the Macedonian side in agreement. Suddenly the signed agreement was rejected by the Macedonian government and the Holy Synod of MOC. In turn, the Serbian Orthodox Church granted full autonomy to the Archbishopric of Ohrid, its embattled branch in the Republic of Macedonia, in late May 2005 and appointed Jovan as its Archbishop.
The later chain of events turned into a vicious circle of mutual accusations and incidents involving SOC and, partly, Serbian government on one side, and MOC, backed by the Macedonian government on the other. The Macedonian side regarded Jovan as a traitor and Serbian puppet. Jovan complained of a new state-backed media campaign against his Church. "They are creating an unstable, explosive atmosphere among the population and are virtually inviting people to lynch us," he told Forum 18 News Service [2]. The government has denied registration of his Church [3], attacked its places of worship and launched a criminal case against him. He was arrested, removed from his bishopric and then expelled from the country. He returned in 2005 and, after attempting to perform a baptism, he was arrested, sentenced to 18 months in prison [4] and jailed [5] with "extremely limited visitation rights" [6]. On March 19th, 2006, after spending 220 days in prison, archbishop Jovan was released [7].
Also, a much greater impact for the decision of Jovan's arrest made his financial malversations, that is, his inappropriate usage of the church fund. In September 2005 he was also accused of embezzlement of church funds at the time when he still was MOC clergyman.
In turn, SOC denied Macedonian delegation access to the monastery of Prohor Pčinjski, which was the usual site of Macedonian celebration of the national holiday of Ilinden uprising (St. Elijah), August 2 [8]. Macedonian border police often denied Serbian priests entry into the country in clerical garb [9].
Despite public appeals from both churches for "Christian brotherhood and unity", both sides did little to settle the dispute.
[edit] Organization
As of 2005, the Macedonian Orthodox Church is headed by Archbishop Stephen of Ohrid and Macedonia. He presides over the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of the MOC, consisting of 9 metropolitans and titular bishops.
Dioceses on the territory of Republic of Macedonia:
- Diocese of Skopje, headed by His Beatitude Archbishop Stephen of Ohrid and Macedonia;
- Diocese of Polog and Kumanovo, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Cyril;
- Diocese of Debar and Kičevo, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Timothy;
- Diocese of Prespa and Pelagonia, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Peter;
- Diocese of Strumica, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Naum;
- Diocese of Bregalnica, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Hilarion;
- Diocese of Povardarie, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Agatangel
Other bishops include the Most Reverend Metropolitan Methodius of the American-Canadian Diocese; the Most Reverend Pimen of the European Diocese; the Most Reverend Gorazd, former head of the European Diocese, and the Reverend Bishop Clement, Auxiliary Bishop of Heraclea.
Outside the country, the MOC is pastorally active in 6 dioceses in the diaspora. The 13 dioceses of the MOC are governed by ten Episcopes, with around 500 active priests in about 500 parishes with over 2000 churches and monasteries. The church claims jurisdiction of about twenty living monasteries, with more than 100 monks.
[edit] Gallery
 Church of Saint Jovan - Ohrid |
 Monastery of Holy Mother - Kichevo |
 A small church above the Bitola dedicated to Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste |
 St Panteleimon on the site of St. Clement’s Monastery, Plaosnik, Ohrid |
 Saint Jovan Bigorski monastery near the city of Debar |
[edit] External links
- Macedonian Orthodox Church - the official site
- Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral Sts Peter and Paul-Crown Point, IN, USA
- Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (St. Mary) - Columbus, Ohio, USA
- (Serbian) Serbian Orthodox Church – official site: News and announcements about the issue of MOC
- St. Clement of Ohrid Cathedral in Toronto, first Macedonian Orthodox Church in Canada
- History of Macedonian Orthodox Church from MOC's point of view
