Serbian Church heals Macedonian schism

On May 16, 2022, the Serbian Church reported the receipt of an act of the Holy Synod of the "Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archbishopric" stating that Macedonians officially accept the status of an autonomous Church within the Serbian Patriarchate, which was granted to it by a 1959 decision. The statement is published on the SOC website.

In its statement, the Synod of the SOC stressed that now "the reasons for the interruption of liturgical and canonical communion caused by the unilateral proclamation of autocephaly in 1967 have been eliminated, and full liturgical and canonical communion is thereby established between the SOC and the MOC." At the same time, the dialogue on the future final status of Macedonians will continue.

"In the dialogue on the future and possibly the final canonical status, the Serbian Orthodox Church will be guided only and exclusively by ecclesiastical-canonical and ecclesiastical-pastoral principles, criteria and norms," the SOC said in the statement. At the same time, the Serbian Patriarchate noted that "political" and "geopolitical" forces should not put pressure on this issue.

The Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church also said it would not interfere in the official name of the Macedonian Church and in the sphere of its jurisdiction – foreign parishes and dioceses.

The Synod did not mention the recognition of the Macedonian Church by Phanar in the document.

It will be recalled that on May 9, 2022, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, headed by Patriarch Bartholomew, recognized the Macedonian Church and entered into Eucharistic communion with its "clergy."

According to the UOJ, the Serbian media called it interference in the internal affairs of the Serbian Church.

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