On the Canonicity of the Macedonian Orthodox Church

 Georgian Church enters into communion with Macedonian Church

 

 

There is a distinct difference between the situation involving the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the situation involving the Ukrainian church. With the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) they were in schism from the Serbian Orthodox Church but, they worked to heal that schism and their clergy repented, and they were brought back into the canonical Orthodox Church. 

 

Serbia restored them to their autonomous status and then later granted the MOC autocephalous status - much how the Moscow Patriarchate granted the Orthodox Church in America autocephaly. However, like with the OCA, the Ecumenical Patriarchate denies the MOC is autocephalous stating only they can grant autocephaly - which is patently false. The page on Autocephaly at OrthodoxWiki has a nice little bit on how some of the autocephalous jurisdictions were granted autocephaly.

 

This includes the Georgian Church which was granted autocephaly from the Antiochian Patriarchate in AD 466, 4 of the 5 of the Pentarchy - which were simply recognized as autocephalous by tradition (this includes Constantinople), others - such as Jerusalem and Cyprus - were declared such at an Ecumenical Council, and others yet still by being granted autocephaly by their mother churches (as in the case of the MP granting the OCA autocephaly, and Serbia granting the MOC autocephaly).

Still, others simply declared themselves autocephalous, and were later recognized as such by other jurisdictions. In fact, it seems more jurisdictions declared themselves autocephalous than Constantinople has actually granted autocephaly to. 

 

So basically, this seems like the EP trying to pontificate and make themselves much more important than they actually are - especially since back in May of 2022, "The Holy Synod also stated it was the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church to settle the administrative issues the Serbian Church had with the MOC." (Source) So it's up to Serbia to settle these issues, as proclaimed by the EP, except for when suddenly it isn't.

 

As I've mentioned in other posts about the Ukrainian church, that church was schismatic and instead of their clergy being repentant and brought back into the fold the EP decided they alone had the authority to make a new jurisdiction ex nihilo. This was at odds with the normal way of doing things because the Ukranian branch of the MP already existed, and if anyone should have been granted autocephaly (from their mother church) and given Ukraine their own autocephalous church it should have been the Ukrainian branch of the MP instead of a group of unrepentant schismatics who clung to being "not Russian" as some kind of piety.

 

While the MOC was in schism, they did not enjoy being in communion with any other Orthodox jurisdiction. Once they were brought back into the fold, they did start to have intercommunion with other jurisdictions. And they have since been granted autocephaly by their mother church, as has been set by precedence. Constantinople need not to try to be involved - but what would the EP be without a bunch of peacocking and chest puffing...

 

So far, a handful of other jurisdictions have recognized the autocephaly of the MOC, while many others have started intercommunion with them. I pray that the newly autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church bears much fruit.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, the sinner.