List of heads of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
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Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia and of Justiniana Prima | |
|---|---|
| Archbishopric | |
| Eastern Orthodox | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Incumbent: Stefan since 10 October 1999 | |
| Style | His Beatitude |
| Location | |
| Residence | Church of St. Clement of Ohrid, Skopje Church of Saint Sophia, Ohrid |
| Information | |
| First holder | Dositej II (modern) |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox |
| Established | 535/1018 (historical) 1959 (modern) |
| Website | |
| mpc | |
Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia (Macedonian: Архиепископ Охридски и Македонски) is the title given to the primate of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia exercises jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox members in the Republic of North Macedonia and in exarchates in the diaspora.
The current archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia is Stefan Veljanovski, who was elected in 1999 following the passing of Archbishop Mihail Gogov.
History[edit]
On 4 October 1958, the group of bishops in the SR Macedonia declared Dositej the "Archbishop of Ohrid, and Skopje, and Metropolitan of Macedonia" in Ohrid.[1] Following the Communist regime's pressure, the Bishops' Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church retroactively recognized Dositej as the Metropolitan of Skopje on 19 June 1959. Despite the canonical order, Dositej and two other bishops established an "autonomous synod", which in order to preserve peace, was formalized by the Serbian Orthodox Assembly, after commitments that certain irregularities be removed. However, in an assembly in Ohrid on 19 July 1967, the autocephality of the Macedonian Orthodox Church was uncanonically proclaimed, the move not recognized by the Serbian Orthodox Church nor any other autocephalous church, leading to a schism. Dositej and the other bishops of the schismatic Orthodox Church in Macedonia were indicted in the Serbian Orthodox Church court.[citation needed]
On 16 May 2022, Archbishop Stefan became the first Archbishop of Ohrid to be canonically recognized since Dositej, owing to the resolution by the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church to accept the canonical status of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[2]
List of archbishops of Ohrid and Macedonia[edit]
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Birth Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dositheus II |  | 1967–1981 | Dimitrije Stojković[3] | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Angelarios |  | 1981–1986 | Cvetko Krsteski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Gabriel II | | 1986–1993 | Ǵorǵi Milošev | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Michael | | 1993–1999 | Metodi Gogov | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Stephen | | 1999–present | Stojan Veljanovski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "YUGOSLAVS AVOID CHURCH DIVISION; Macedonians Restore Old Diocese, but Recognize Serbian Patriarch". The New York Times. 6 October 1958. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ "Саопштење Светог Архијерејског Сабора | Српскa Православнa Црквa [Званични сајт]". www.spc.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- ^ Čairović, Ivica (2018-08-01). "The role of vicar bishop Dositej (Stojković) at the beginning of the church schism in Macedonia in 1958". Istorija 20. Veka. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
External links[edit]
- Official Website of the MOC (in Macedonian)