Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric

This article is about the current archbishopric in Macedonia. For the archbishopric that existed from 1019-1767, see Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid (ancient). For other uses, see Ohrid Archbishopric.
Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric
Location
Territory Republic of Macedonia
Headquarters Bitola, Macedonia
Information
Denomination Eastern Orthodox
Sui iuris church Autonomous Archbishopric of the Patriarchate of Peć (Serbia)
Established 2002
Language Old Church Slavonic
Current leadership
Bishop Archbishop Jovan VI
Website
poa-info.org

The Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric (Serbian, Macedonian: Православна Охридска Архиепископија, Pravoslavna Ohridska Arhiepiskopija) is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox archdiocese in the Republic of Macedonia. It is the only canonical Orthodox Church in the Republic of Macedonia and is in full communion with all other Orthodox Churches.

The Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric has been refused registration by the Macedonian State Religion Commission on the grounds that one group may be registered for each confession and that the name was not sufficiently distinct from that of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC).[1] MOC is recognized by the State Religion Commission but not by any other Orthodox churches, which consider its unilateral 1967 declaration of autocephaly a breach of canon law.

The Archbishopric claims inheritance from the Ohrid Archbishopric of Justiniana prima and all Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Охридска Архиепископиия на Юстинияна първа и цяла България, Greek: Αρχιεπίσκοπος της πρωτης 'Ιουστινιανης και πάσης Βουλγαριας), founded in 1019, by Basil II.[2]

Autonomy

In attempt to restore its canonical status and gain recognition from the Orthodox churches, the Macedonian Orthodox Church negotiated with the Serbian Orthodox Church, and these negotiations led to an eventual agreement signed in Niš in June 2002, thus known as the Niš Agreement.[3] The agreement was signed by all bishops of both delegations. However, the bishops of the delegations of the Macedonian Orthodox Church were exposed to severe criticism for signing this agreement, and although they attempted to defend it for a short time,[4] the Synod of the MOC rejected the agreement.

The Patriarch of Peć then summoned all bishops, clergy, monastics and faithful people to enter in liturgical and canonical unity with the Serbian Orthodox Church. Jovan Vraniskovski, Metropolitan of Veles and Povardarie, and all priests of Veles agreed to respond to this call, and all signed a document of agreement.[5]

On 23 September 2002, Metr. Jovan was appointed Exarch of all the territories of the Ohrid Archdiocese by the Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church. On 25 December 2003, he was elected Chairman of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, after it had been constituted.[6]

On 24 May 2005, he was confirmed by Patriarch of Peć as Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje in accordance with the Niš Agreement. On the same day, there was an announcement of the Patriarchal and the Assembly's Tomos for Autonomy of the Ohrid Archbishopric,[7] with Archbishop Jovan as the Chairman of the Holy Synod of Bishops.[8]

Structure

Map of the seven diocese of Macedonia

As of 2009, the Macedonian Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric is headed by Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid and Macedonia. He presides over the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, consisting of 4 metropolitans and titular bishops.

Dioceses on the territory of Republic of Macedonia:

  1. Archdiocese of Skopje, headed by Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid and Macedonia;
  2. Diocese of Prespa and Pelagonia, vacant;
  3. Diocese of Bregalnica, headed by Bishop Marko;
  4. Diocese of Debar and Kičevo, vacant;
  5. Diocese of Polog and Kumanovo, headed by Bishop Joakim;
  6. Diocese of Veles and Povardarie (Vardar), vacant;
  7. Diocese of Strumica, vacant;

The Holy Synod of bishops was constituted on 23 December 2003 in the monastery of Saint John Chrysostom. The current members of the Synod are:

The Archbishopric uses Old Church Slavonic language.

Persecution

Upon entering in the canonical and ecclesiastical unity with the Serbian Orthodox Church, and through that with the whole community of Orthodox Churches, Archbishop Jovan was expelled by the police, without a court order, from his residence and cathedra in Veles on 7 July 2002. In the same manner, illegally and without a court order, the monks of four monasteries, were expelled from their monasteries, i.e. homes, in January 2004, immediately after joining the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.[9][10] A fifth monastery, Saint John Chrysostom in the village Nižepole near Bitola, was broken into by armed and masked men, who not finding the Archbishop Jovan they were after, harassed and threatened the nuns with machine-guns, cut their hair and set the monastery on fire, in February 2004.[11][12]

Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric buildings were raided by the police.[13][14] The Church in the Saint John Chrysostom monastery was demolished by the state authorities on 15 October 2004.[15] The chapel St. Nectarios of Aegina, after being broken into and vandalized on several occasions, was at the end completely demolished on 12 July 2005. The priest who served at that chapel, Fr. Borjan Vitanov, was beaten up twice.[14] Additional complaints of harassment have been reported.[14]

Archbishop Jovan was sentenced to 18 months of prison in June 2005 for Instigation of ethnic, racial and religious hatred, discord and intolerance. The verdict stated the conviction relied on these three points:[16]

  1. he wrote a text in a religious calendar in which he slanders the Macedonian Orthodox Church
  2. he agreed to be appointed as an Exarch of the Ohrid Archbishopric in Macedonia and participated in the ordination of the bishops Joachim and Marko and
  3. he officiated at a religious service in an apartment owned by his parents.

He served 220 days in prison before the Supreme court declared the last two of the three points to be unconstitutional and his sentence was shortened to 8 months.[17] Archbishop Jovan was sentenced for the second time, on charges for Embezzlement, and as a second defendant was sentenced to a higher prison term of 2 years than the first defendant (who was sentenced 1 year and 3 months) in 2006. He served 256 days before being released.[18]

The declaratively secular state legalized its identification with a specific religious community Macedonian Orthodox Church, through the Parliament’s "Declaration for support of the autocephaly of the MOC" reached on 23 January 2004.[19][20] The Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric is denied registration by the state authorities.[21][22][23] Orthodox clergy is not allowed to enter the country.[24][25][26]

International reactions

See also

References

  1. ↑ "US State Dept. Report on Religious Freedom in Macedonia, 2006". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, Brief History of the Ohrid Archbishopric, 31 December 2006
  3. ↑ "Full text of the Nis Agreement". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Dnevnik". Star.dnevnik.com.mk. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  5. ↑ "The agreement with the signatures of the priests from the Metropolis of Veles for entrance into liturgical and canonical unity with the Serbian orthodox church". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "The decision for constitution of the Synod (in Macedonian)". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "The tomos for autonomy". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Patriarch of Serbia : confirmation of posting as Archbishop" (PDF). Poa-info.org. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "Forum 18 Archive: MACEDONIA: Serbian Orthodox Archbishop arrested again - 13 January 2004". Forum18.org. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "US State Dept. report on Religious Freedoms in Macedonia". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "Forum 18 - MACEDONIA: Who attacked, armed with machine guns, an Orthodox monastery?". Forum18.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Forum 18 - MACEDONIA: Priests and police raid and threaten Serbian Orthodox believers". Forum18.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 "US State Dept. Religious Freedom Report on Macedonia, 2006". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "US State Dept. report on Religious Freedom in Macedonia". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "Full text of the verdict". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  17. ↑ "Full text of the verdict of the Supreme Court". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Full text of the convicting verdict". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "News report: The parliament adopted the "Declaration for support of the autocephaly of the MOC"". a1.com.mk. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "Forum 18 Archive: MACEDONIA: Why is state interfering in Orthodox dispute? - 8 June 2005". Forum18.org. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  21. ↑ "Forum 18 Archive: MACEDONIA: Serbian Orthodox "will never get registration" - 23 September 2004". Forum18.org. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  22. ↑ "Forum 18 - MACEDONIA: Selective refusal to register Serbian Orthodox Church". Forum18.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  23. ↑ "US State Dept. Report on Religious Freedom in Macedonia, 2008". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  24. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20110722215814/http://mhc.org.mk/default-en.asp?ItemID=BF91189552FAF542BA5FFE659E55EC9D&arc=1. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ↑ "Media report on the border-crossing policies for orthodox priests". Star.dnevnik.com.mk. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  26. ↑ "Serbian Bishop not permitted to pass through Macedonia on demand by MOC". Star.dnevnik.com.mk. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  27. ↑ "Macedonia". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Macedonia". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  29. ↑ "Macedonia". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  30. ↑ "Macedonia". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  31. ↑ "Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  32. ↑ "US Mission to the OSCE - Statement on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (PDF). Osce.usmission.gov. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  33. ↑ "Commission Staff Working Document : The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2006 Progress Report" (PDF). Ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  34. ↑ "Amnesty International sees Jovan Vraniskovski a prisoner of conscience". Amnesty.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  35. ↑ "Freedom House report on Macedonia, 2007". Freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  36. ↑ "Freedom House report on Macedonia, 2005". Freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  37. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20110722215824/http://mhc.org.mk/default-mk.asp?ItemID=1609B5961305E340B3BCB614BFD1D926&arc=1. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20110722215639/http://mhc.org.mk/default-mk.asp?ItemID=577B948E52C7B648A9F4398C90B0A71C&arc=1. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20110722215652/http://mhc.org.mk/default-mk.asp?ItemID=D269C890ADF91F4D8B26B40C32163802&arc=1. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. ↑ "Religious Freedom in Southeastern Europe". Csce.gov. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  41. ↑ "Forum 18 Archive: MACEDONIA: New Religion Law perpetuates discrimination - 31 March 2008". Forum18.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  42. ↑ "Σεπτόν Πατριαρχικόν Γράμμα πρός τόν Ἐξοχ. κ. Vlado Buckovski, Πρωθυπουργόν τῆς FYROM(11/08/2005)". Ec-patr.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  43. ↑ "Patriarchal Letter to the Prime Minister of FYROM Mr. Vlado Buckovski". Ec-patr.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  44. ↑ "A letter from His Holyness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow to the President of Macedonia". Патриархия.ru. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  45. ↑ "Διαμαρτυρία της Συνόδου για τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αχρίδος". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  46. ↑ "The letter from the Assembly of the twenty Holy Monasteries of Holy Mount Athos to the Metropolitan Jovan". Poa-info.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  47. ↑ Archived February 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  48. ↑ "Metropolitan Herman calls for release of Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid". Oca.org. Retrieved 5 October 2014.

External links

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