11
edits
Changes
Updated canonical status of the church with references
[[Image:MOC logo.png|right]]
The '''Macedonian Orthodox Church - Archdiocese of Ohrid''' or '''MOC''' (in Macedonian:
'''Македонска Православна Црква''' or '''МПЦ''') is a [[autonomyautocephaly|autonomousautocephalous]] archdiocese of the [[Church Eastern Orthodox fhurch of Serbia]] in the Republic of North Macedonia. Formerly, it had separated from the [[Church of Serbia]] in 1967 with a unilateral declaration of autocephaly, which was not recognized by other Orthodox churches, considering it an archdiocese of the [[Church of Serbia]] . Communion was restored with the Serbian church in 2022.On 5 June 2022 the Macedonian Orthodox Church was granted full [[autocephaly]]<ref>[https://balkaninsight.com/2022/05/24/serbian-patriarch-brings-good-news-to-newly-recognised-macedonian-church/ Serbian Patriarch Brings "Good News" to Newly-Recognised Macedonian Church], Balkan Insight, 24 May 2022</ref>, recognised by many Orthodox churches, including the [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]].<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonian_Orthodox_Church#Recognized_autocephaly Macedonian Orthodox Church, English Wikipedia article]</ref>
==History==
Formerly known as [[w:Vardar Banovina|Vardarska Banovina]] (Province of the river Vardar), 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 Skopje, a Resolution to create the Macedonian Orthodox Church was submitted to the Serbian patriarchate which had since 1919 exercised sole jurisdiction in the area. This resolution was rejected. During World War II there was also an initiative to create an Armenian-Macedonian Church in the territory of occupied Greece, but this plan was supported only by few ethnic Armenians and Aegean Macedonians in the zone of Kastoria. After the war another resolution, submitted in 1958, proposing the Ohrid Archdiocese of St. [[Clement of Ochrid|Clement]] as a Macedonian Orthodox Church, was accepted ([[June 17]], 1959) under strong pressure from the Communist authorities. Dositej Stojković, auxiliary bishop of the Serbian patriarch, left Belgrade and was proclaimed the first Metropolitan of Skopje. In order to prevent schism, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church granted autonomy to three Dioceses in Macedonia. A Macedonian was consecrated bishop. But two of them soon consecrated new bishops who were without the proper qualifications. Soon Macedonians started to organize churches in diaspora without approval of the Patriarch and bishops who were responsible for the dioceses in diaspora. During the so-called Third Clergy and Laity Assembly on [[July 19]], 1967, in Ohrid, the Macedonian Orthodox Church was proclaimed as autocephalous with strong public support.
In 2022, communion was restored, with the Serbian Orthodox Church recognizing the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Archdiocese of Ohrid as autonomous. On 5 June 2022 the church was granted full [[autocephaly]], recognised by many Orthodox churches, including the [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]].
===Relations with the Autonomous Archdiocese of Ohrid===
On [[March 19]], 2006, following a successful court appeal, Abp Jovan was released after spending 220 days in prison.<ref>[http://freearchbishop.com/?p=46 Archbishop kyr kyr Jovan (John) VI is released from prison]</ref>
In August 2006, Abp Jovan was again convicted of embezzlement of MOC church funds and voluntarily surrendered himself to imprisonment after a short period in hiding. An appeal has been lodged on his behalf with the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
In 2023 in was the Serbian and Macedonian Church decided that the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric under Jovan is to be abolished, and its dioceses trasferred from the Serbian to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. As of 2023 its dioceses are in the process of mering into the Macedonian Orthodox Church. <ref>[https://spc.rs/en/communique-of-the-holy-assembly-of-bishops-of-the-serbian-orthodox-church/ Communique of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church (2023)], ''Serbian Orthodox Church'', accessed 28 May 2023</ref><ref>[https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/spc-mpc-spor-ohridska-arhiepiskopija/32420359.html Spor između SPC i MPC okončan i formalno], ''Radio Free Europe'', 20 May 2023</ref>
==Organization==