Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric

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Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric
Jurisdiction	Patriarchate of Pec (Serbia)
Diocese type	Autonomous Archdiocese
Founded	2002, legalized 2005
Current Bishop	Metropolitan Jovan (John) VI
See	Ohrid
Headquarters	Skopje, Macedonia
Territory	Republic of Macedonia
Language	Old Church Slavonic, Macedonian, Serbian
Population	N/A
Website	Official Site

The Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric (Macedonian: Православна Охридска Архиепископија Pravoslavna Ohridska Arhiepiskopija) was formed in 2002 following a failure in negotiations between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the canonically-unconstitutional and unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC). Whereas the Holy Synod of the MOC rejected the so-called Niš agreement, one bishop broke ranks and agreed to form the autonomous church under the tutelage of the Patriarchate of Pec. Macedonian Orthodox Church has issues with the Serbian Orthodox Church after the separation and self-declaration of autocephaly in 1967. After the negotiations between the two churches were suspended, Serbian Orthodox Church recognized a schismatic group leaded by Zoran Vranishkovski (so-called Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid), a former Macedonian church bishop, as the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

The church currently includes three high-ranking prelates:

• Metropolitan Jovan (Vranišovski) of Veles-Povardarje and Exarch of Ohrid
• Bishop Joakim (Jovčevski) of Velika and Polog-Kumanovo
• Bishop Marko (Kimev) of Dremvica and Bitola

The Macedonian Orthodox Church has reacted by cut-off of all relations with the clergy of the Ohrid Archbishopric and preventing bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from entering Macedonia. Furthermore, on October 15, 2004 the authorities proceeded to tear down a monastery being built in Nižepole near Bitola. The monastery was to have been the spiritual center of the Archbishopric.

The Archbishopric's language is Macedonian and all of its clergy are ethnic Macedonians.

Bishop Jovan was jailed for 18 months for defaming the Macedonian Orthodox church and harming the religious feelings of local citizens. [1]. The Macedonian State Religion Commission denies the group to be registered as a religious group saying that only one group may be registered for each confession and that the name was not sufficiently distinct from that of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Macedonian church had acquired documents confirming direct involvement of the Serbian government in financing the activities of the group, seen as interference in the internal affairs of another sovereign state by the Macedonian President Crvenkovski. [2]. Macedonian President also rejected the request of the Head of Serbian Orthodox Church for abolition of Zoran Vranishkovski (set as a main condition for resumption of negotiations between two churches by the Serbian Patriarch). Vranishkovski is convicted about misappropriate usage of a large sum of money donated to the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The Archbishopric has little support from the Christian Оrthodox population of the Republic of Macedonia, which largely prefers the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Patriarchate of Serbia

Patriarchate

Patriarchs | Serbian Orthodox Church | Holy Serbs | Holy Synod

Churches

Temple of St. Sava | Saborna Crkva (Belgrade Cathedral Church) | St. Mark's Church | Chicago Cathedral Church

Monasteries

Patriarchate of Peć | Hilandar | Banjska | Devič | Gračanica | Kalenić | Ljubostinja | Manasija | Mileševa | Morača | Ostrog Rača | Ravanica | Savina | Sopoćani | Studenica | Tvrdoš | Visoki Dečani | Žiča | Monasteries of Fruška Gora | St. Sava (USA)

Patriarchal Saints

Saint Sava I | Saint Arsenije I Sremac | Saint Danilo II | Saint Sava II | Saint Joanikije I | Saint Jevstatije I | Saint Sava III | Saint Nikodim I Saint Joanikije II | Saint Sava IV | Saint Jefrem | Saint Spiridon | Saint Jefrem | Saint Gavrilo I

Metropolitanates

Dabro-Bosna | Montenegro and the Littoral | Zagreb and Ljubljana | Midwestern America

Autonomous Dioceses

Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric

Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Eastern Orthodoxy

Autocephalous Churches

Four Ancient Patriarchates: Constantinople | Alexandria | Antioch | Jerusalem Russia | Serbia | Romania | Bulgaria | Georgia Cyprus | Greece | Poland | Albania | Czechia and Slovakia | OCA*

Autonomous Churches

Sinai | Finland | Estonia* | Japan* | China* | Ukraine | Western Europe* | Bessarabia* | Moldova* | Ohrid* | ROCOR

The * designates a church whose autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized.

[edit] External links

• Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric official page