Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid on Receiving Autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate

In his first interview after the removal of the Schism, Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid spoke to the Greek media To Vima (June 5, 2022) and expressed his respect for the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The interview of Archbishop Stefan was given before the concelebration of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia with Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid (from the day the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to restore the former schismatic Church of Skopje) in the Cathedral of Belgrade during which His Beatitude handed over to His Eminence the Tomos of Autocephaly.

From the interview of Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid to the journalist Maria Antoniadou in To Vima we read:

The Ecumenical Patriarchate Has Canonically Recognized the Church of Ochrid in Northern Macedonia

The Holy and Sacred Synod, meeting today, Monday, May 9th, 2022, under the chairmanship of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, discussed in detail the ecclesiastical issue of Skopje, and, evaluating in the final phase the submission to the Mother Church from that Church, as well as the other appeals of the State of Northern Macedonia, they have decided the following:

1) It accepts into eucharistic communion the Hierarchy, the clergy and the people under Archbishop Stefan of this Church, healing the wound of the schism, pouring over the wound of our Orthodox brethren "oil and wine". To this end, the relevant Patriarchal and Synodal Act is published.

A 12th Century Fresco of Saint Euphrosynos the Cook

This fresco is among the oldest of Saint Euphrosynos the Cook, who is estimated to have lived in the ninth century in Palestine. It dates to 1191 and can be found in the Church of Saint George in Kurbinovo, Macedonia.

 

Saint Urban, Bishop of Macedonia

Verses

Upon expiring Urban was in the hands of the Angels,
Who lived his life according to the Angels.

Saint Urban, Bishop of Macedonia, met his end in peace.

Release of Archbishop Jovan from Prison Put on Hold

On January 9th it was announced that Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid, who has been unjustly held in prison for three years in Skopje, was to be released on January 19th by court order (see here). Today it was announced by the Archdiocese of Ochrid that the release will not take place today and that it is on hold. Below are the details in the official announcement:

January 19, 2015

Announcement

The Council of the Court of First Instance Skopje I, on January 9, 2015, made the decision that Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje should be released from prison.

Archbishop Jovan To Be Released From Prison

Aimilios Polygenis

January 10, 2015

Romfea.gr

It took almost three and a half years of confinement in prison in Skopje to hear some good news in the case of Metropolitan Jovan (John) of Ochrid.

The judicial authorities decided, according to exclusive information from Romfea.gr, to release the Metropolitan on January 19th, having been imprisoned for three years and two months in the penal system of Skopje.

Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

July 3, 2013

Stefan J. Bos

BosNewsLife

A Macedonian court sentenced the Archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Macedonia to three years in prison on what his denomination and activists called Wednesday, July 3, "false charges" of money laundering, while fourteen co-defendants received suspended jail terms.

Additionally Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid, also known as Zoran Vraniskovski, must handover SOC properties, including church buildings, to the state for allegedly laundering some 250,000 euro ($325,000), his church said. Bishop Marko of Bregalnica, whose civilian name is Goran Kimev, Bishop David Ninov of Stobi as well as fourteen "priest-monks, abbesses, nuns and other faithful people of the Orthodox Ochrid Archbishopric" each received two years suspended sentences for financial wrongdoing, the SOC added.

Among those sentenced are also Archbishop Jovan's mother and sister, trial observers said. "The court told them that if they repeat the same deed in the next five years they will be facing two years of imprisonment each," the SOC said in a statement to BosNewsLife.

Tuesday's ruling by Judge Ivica Stefanovski of the First Municipal Court of Skopje, Macedonia, is "the seventh imprisonment sentence for Archbishop Jovan, who is a political prisoner in Macedonia already for a long period of time," the SOC said.

The independent Centar 9, or Center 9 in English, a Belgrade-based Balkan rights group said the 47-year-old church leader suffered years of persecution. "Once he was in prison because he baptized a child and another time time because of having a prayer service in a private home," said the group's General Secretary Drasko Djenovic in an interview.

DECADE OF "PERSECUTION"

"All persecution was in the last 10 years - since 2003," he told BosNewsLife.

Djenovic said there was "no proof" that those charged were involved in money laundering, a view apparently shared by the U.S. State Department and others concerned about alleged religious rights violations in the Balkan nation.

He linked the ruling to what he called "a court influenced by politics" to Archbishop's efforts to re-integrate the Macedonian Ortodox Church (MOC) within the SOC. The MOC effectively broke away from the SOC in 1967 under Communism, when Macedonia was still part of Yugoslavia, a move that was not recognized by other national Orthodox churches.

"These kind of staged court trials prove that the courts are being used for political confrontations," added the SOC in separate remarks. The court confirmed "the state sponsoring and protection of the monopoly of the schismatic Macedonian orthodox church," the SOC complained.

The latest tensions emerged last year when authorities in Macedonia detained some 19 Serbian Orthodox monks, nuns and other believers and confiscated their passports to prevent them from leaving the country, representatives confirmed to BosNewsLife at the time.

NEXT YEAR RELEASED?

While they were soon released, Archbishop Jovan remained behind bars despite international calls for his release. "Now he is already for some 1.5 years imprisoned. The sentence means he will have to effectively serve another 1.5 years behind bars," Djenovic said.

It was not immediately clear whether the reported crackdown would further negatively impact Macedonia's efforts to join the European Union and the NATO military alliance.

Macedonia's attempts to join the organizations were already complicated by a dispute with neighboring Greece over its name.

However the EU has made respect for the rights of religious and ethnic minorities a condition for entry. Macedonia is clearly involved in a "violation of religious freedoms, and persecution on religious basis of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric," argued the SOC in a statement.

Most of Macedonia's roughly two million people identify themselves as members of the MOC, though Center 9 said it believes Muslims could become a majority in the coming years. It is estimated that among 2 million people, one third is of ethnic Albanian origin and of a Muslim background.

On Nationalistic Schisms

From an interview with Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos:

Question: In conclusion, your Eminence, what would be your message and advice to the Orthodox Christians in our country (FYROM/Macedonia) in these moments of tribulation for them?

Answer: I think that what I have said so far in your questions can be considered as an answer to this last question. In general, at present there is a great need for unity in church life, so that spiritual gifts are united with the canonical structure of the Church, neptic life with the Holy Eucharist, man’s cure with the doctrinal teaching of the Church.

Regarding your country, in particular, I think a proper way must be found in order to obtain canonical unity with the other Orthodox Churches under the head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. God does not bless schisms and divisions, and no correct Orthodox spiritual life can be developed within such schisms.

Above all, we have to realize that the Orthodox Church exists beyond nations and countries, and this is why the Churches cannot be considered as national and as bastions of nationalism.

Saint Paul the Apostle clearly advises: “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philip. 3:20). Our center of attention, our vision, our expectation, and our hope is the heavenly polity, where the saints are now, united with Christ. When we think this way, that other saying by Saint Paul the Apostle is applicable: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:1-2), and then all personal and social problems are resolved.

From Sobornost, September 2006.

Macedonia Police Detain 17 Monks, Nuns, Believers

Stefan J. Bos

May 22, 2012

BosNewsLife

Macedonian security forces have detained 17 monks, nuns and other believers on tax evasion charges as part of a fresh crackdown on the Serbian Orthodox Church in Macedonia, representatives and investigators told BosNewsLife Tuesday, May 22.

They were captured after police entered several monasteries and homes of church members, who fall under the responsibility of the Serbian Orthodox Church's "Ohrid Archbishopric" in Macedonia, said Centar 9, or 'Center 9' in English, a major Balkan religious rights watchdog.

"Prosecution of monks, nuns and believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Macedonia continues," Center 9 General Secretary Drasko Djenovic told BosNewsLife. "[It is] the situation in that ex-Yugoslav state," he said.

The raid reportedly began early Monday, May 21, when police in the eastern Macedonian town of Stip "was looking to arrest Bishop Marko of Bregalnica" area but he was not present as he attended the spring session of the Serbian Orthodox Church Synod in Belgrade, Serbia, according to investigators. However a nun, identified as Pelagija, was said to have been detained in that raid.

Elsewhere, in Macedonia's capital Skopje, police entered a monastery of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God looking for Bishop David of the ancient town of Stobi, Center 9 added.

PRIORESS DETAINED

He was not found, but Prioress Kirina was taken into custody, BosNewsLife learned. While she was trying to report of what was going on, her mobile phone was allegedly taken away. "Police performed a search and arrest while video recording all," Center 9 claimed.

In a separate statement attributed to Bishop David and obtained by BosNewsLife, the church leader explained that "According to our understanding, 17 nuns and monks are arrested today [Monday]."

"Considering that the Macedonian police was trying to arrest me this morning, I expect to be arrested as soon as I cross the border line and enter Macedonia,“ he stressed, while returning from the synod meeting in Belgrade.

"Bishop Marko stayed at the synod meeting, since someone needs to inform the public of the events in Macedonia, as our Archbishop Jovan is already in prison," Bishop David added. "Such persecution and repression, in a desire to annihilate the whole Church, is not remembered in a modern and democratic Europe.“

Also, in the country's southwestern city of Bitola, police entered the monastery of St. John Chrysostom during the liturgy, in an attempt to "arrest the Mother superior Olimpijada" Center 9 told BosNewsLife.

MORE DETENTIONS

"When Center 9 called a mobile phone of Mother Olimpijada, another nun responded confirming that Mother Olimpijada is in a ‘safe place and not arrested’. However, one nun was taken to police custody."

In a statement she was quoted as saying: “This morning, during the service, police entered the monastery with arrest warrants and did a thorough search. No one is injured, but everything is upside down."

In the southern Macedonian city of Prilep police entered a monastery of the Assumption of the Holy Mother and arrested [monk] Mojsej, Center 9 reported.

Police reportedly said the raids were part of an investigation into "tax evasion fraud". But rights investigators have linked these and other raids to the government's refusal to register the Serbian Orthodox Church in Macedonian.

Only the Macedonian Orthodox Church has been recognized as the Balkan nation's main religion.

BLACK LIST

An Interior Ministry blacklist issued in recent years reportedly lists over 20 Serbian Orthodox bishops banned from entering Macedonia.

The Serbian Orthodox Church Synod in Belgrade earlier condemned as “political and not judicial” the sentence of two and half years to Archbishop Jovan, who is behind bars in Macedonia's Idrizovo prison.

Several other court cases are pending against Jovan and at least 15 other persons, trial observers said. Family members of Archbishop Jovan were among those detained in the latest raids, in addition to the nuns and monks, Center 9 said, adding that they were all expected to be brought before an investigative judge.

Macedonian police was to give more details later Tuesday, May 22.

It was not immediately clear how the European Union would react to the latest developments. Macedonia is seeking membership of the EU and the NATO military alliance, efforts so far blocked by Greece amid a dispute over the country's name.

The tensions over religious and national identities in the region are a left-over of the Balkan wars of the 1990s, according to Western obervers and rights activists.

Serbian Holy Synod Appeal on Behalf of Archbishop Jovan

Announcement of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the latest imprisonment of Archbishop John

Belgrade, May 12th, 2012

After years of persecution, harassment, arrests and imprisonments, His Beatitude the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje kyr Dr. John, pan-Orthodoxly renowned and recognized canonical Prelate of the ancient Ohrid Archbishopric, was sentenced yesterday, May 11th, to two and a half years in prison under false charges of alleged fraud and embezzlement, the result of a politically motivated and staged pseudotrial of a Stalinist-type, organized upon the blatant request of the schismatic organization calling itself “The Macedonian Orthodox Church”. He was sentenced solely because of His unwavering commitment to the unity of the Church of God; because of his communion with the Serbian Patriarchate and thereby with universal Orthodoxy worldwide; and because of his persistent and confessional fight against the schismatic mentality and anti-Ecclesiastical ethnophiletism. This is a unique case in contemporary Europe – if not in the whole civilized world – of the authorities, by order, to commit an act of cruel violence and an atrocity upon the Orthodox Church and Her lawful senior representatives, most violently breaking both their own laws and international norms and conventions. Fortunately, several diplomats, representatives of the Orthodox Church, as well as representatives from organizations and institutions dedicated to the protection of human rights and religious freedom, attended the “trial”, and thus an accurate report and a clear picture of this sad and ugly scene staged in the Veles courtroom can be made to the relevant factors and the public.

The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, under whose canonical jurisdiction the autonomous Ohrid Archbishopric is, condemns with the deepest moral indignation this incomparable violence and persecution conducted under the guise of legal order, and is always with the brothers and sisters from the Ohrid Archbishopric, in prayer and evangelic love, and especially with their Shepherd, who gladly accepts and endures suffering for our forefathers’ faith as well as for the unity of Christ’s holy Orthodox Church. The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church finally calls:

- for all sister Orthodox Churches throughout the ecumene;

- for all other Christian Churches in the world;

- for the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches and other Christian organizations;

- for the spiritual leaders of major world religions;

- for the for governments and relevant public authorities of legally regulated states, primarily democratic;

- for the international institutions;

- for the institutions and organizations of human rights and religious freedom; and

- for all people of good will;

to provide spiritual, moral, legal and any other possible support to the prisoner of conscience, the Archbishop John, and to contribute to his release from prison as soon as possible.

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Source

Greetings in our Risen Lord,

Christ is Risen!

May the joy of our Lord’s Holy Resurrection always be with you!

As many of us already know at this time His Eminence, the Archbishop of Ohrid and the Metropolitan of Skopje has been sentenced 2 ½ years in a prison in Skopje. The Orthodox Church has truly been wounded and crucified on the Cross by this scandal that an Archbishop under the Patriarch of Serbia has been sentenced for this period of time.

Every voice and loving Christian is humbly needed at this hour for an appeal for the release of Archbishop Jovan. The health of the Archbishop is not good at this time, and doctors or any reports about his health is not known to anyone including his own diocesan bishops, priest, monks, nuns, and faithful. The prison authorities have refused any reports as to the condition of the Archbishop.

The above photo says the following: “Archbishop Jovan, they put you in a dungeon, but you are in truth.” Please note the health of the Archbishop in this photo taken before his imprisonment in December 2011.

Now take a look at the you tube of the Archbishop being brought to court on 11 May 2012, note how much weight the Archbishop has lost, since he was put in prison in December, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68hn_iEqBvM&feature=share

This is not the first time the diocese or the Archdiocese of Archbishop Jovan has been persecuted as this has been a constant situation for the last several years. Note the following you tube where one of the bishops under Archbishop Jovan named Bishop Marko and Hieromonk Irinej are being harassed for doing a funeral service at a local Orthodox cemetery, the Security Police are pushing them around and trying to stop them for performing the funeral service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN9ATOXtuzw

Let us without a doubt join the Synod of bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in our appeal for the immediate release of Archbishop Jovan, and for the proper registration of his diocese, and as well as make further appeals to the free world for his release now today.

The addresses of relevant people to contact are:

1. U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street NW

Washington, DC 20520

2. Ms. Hilary Clinton

Friends of Hillary

1900 M Street, NW

Suite 500

Washington, DC 20036

accountingdepartment@hillaryclinton.com

3. US Embassy in Skopje

Embassy Address:

Str. "Samoilova" Nr.21

1000 Skopje

Republic of Macedonia

Fax: +389 2 310-2499

And Ms. Marisa MacIsaac whom you met: MacIsaacM@state.gov

4. OSCE Mission to Skopje

Address:

Oktomvriska Revolucija bb

MK-1000 Skopje

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Fax: +389 2 323 4234

info-MK@osce.org

and Mr. Kristoph Herbst who is following our cases: Kristoph.Herbst@osce.org

5. Delegation of the European Union to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Address: Mito Hadzivasilev Jasmin 52v, 1000 Skopje

Telefax: (+389 2) 3248 501

E-mail: delegation-fyrmacedonia@eeas.europa.eu

6. The Conference of European Churches

CEC Office in Geneva:

PO Box 2100,

150, route de Ferney,

CH- 1211 Geneva 2

Fax: +41 22 791 62 27

7. Human Rights Watch

New York

Address: 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor

New York, NY 10118-3299 USA

Fax: +1-212-736-1300

Washington DC

Address: 1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 500

Washington, DC 20009 USA

Fax:+1-202-612-4333

Berlin

Neue Promenade 5 10178 Berlin, Germany

Fax. +49-30-259306-29

berlin@hrw.org

Paris

142 rue Montmartre

75002 Paris, France

Fax: +33-1-43-59-55-22

E-mail: paris@hrw.org

Brussels

Avenue des Gaulois, 7.

1040 Brussels, Belgium

Tel: +32-2-732-2009

8. Freedom House

fax 202-293-2840

info@freedomhouse.org

9. Mr. José Manuel Barroso

President of the European commission

1049 Brussels, Belgium

10. Mr. Olli Rehn, Vice President of the European Commission

European Commission

Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs

B-1049 Brussels

Belgium

Fax (+32) 2 29 809 98

Every voice will help and every Christ-loving prayer for sure shall helps as well for the release of Archbishop Jovan.

Remember if we remain silent then the Archbishop will perish. The Archbishop will die in prison!

Talk is cheap! Action is needed is absolutely necessary to support well intention words; otherwise talk is cheap. Our Lord Jesus Christ bear witness, after prayer comes the act of bearing witness. What is happening in FYROM is a persecution of a wonderful soul Christ-loving by a Stalinist era grouping of make believe Christians! This is the 21st century! What would our Lord have to say about this at this hour?

If you would like to help the Archbishop and his diocese please send your loving donation (tax deductible):

The Archbishop Jovan Fund

c/o St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Monastery

P.O. Box 70

Platina, CA 96076

USA

May our Merciful-God hear our prayers and our loving appeal for the release of Archbishop Jovan now today.

Peace to your soul!

God love and bless you!

Humbly in Christ our Lord,

+ Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes

President of The Archbishop Jovan Fund USA

Who prays for you and with you!

Cell phone: 208-860-2479

I have run to the fragrance of your myrrh,

O Christ God, for I have been wounded by your love;

do not part from me, O heavenly Bridegroom.

"Wounded by Love," The Life and The Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios

See us at facebook.com/orthodoxchurchboise

Archbishop Jovan Sentenced To Two and a Half Years in Prison

Press Release

The Archbishop Jovan Fund USA

Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes, President

Beloved in our Risen Lord,

Christos Anesti!

May the joy of the Holy Resurrection of our Lord be with you!

Archbishop Jovan the Archbishop of Ohrid & the Metropolitan of Skpoje was sentenced to two and half years to prison today 5/11/2012.

Secondly during the hearing of Archbishop Jovan several individuals clergy and monastics under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop tried to attend the public trial today. In particular Bishop David (Vicar Bishop to Archbishop Jovan) and Hieromonk (Prietsmonk) Irenje where pushed by the police in front of the court doors, and Bishop David was almost pushed to the floor but not injured thanks to God. See the attached photo of Bishop David being pushed away and almost fell to the floor. Both Bishop David and Father Irenje where refused to enter the public hearing.

One can only but thank God that both Bishop David and Father Irenje where not seriously injured.

The next approach would be that we must continue to send appeals and offer our support for Archbishop Jovan release.

Let us together offer prayers and piously pray for the mercy of our Lord to watch over the Archbishop and his beloved Archdiocese. I am sure it was a great disappointment for the Archbishop today, but knowing the Archbishop he will pursue his imprisonment with prayer and living up to the Orthodox faith he loves.

Pray with me and please share the above information with others.

May our Lord God grant continued blessings upon Archbishop Jovan and preserve him.

Peace to your soul!

Humbly with the joy of the Holy Resurrection of our Lord,

+Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfess

Presidend of The Archbishop Jovan Fund USA

Source

Two Opinions On Macedonian Canonicity

What is most important to Macedonian Orthodox Church is to return to canonical field, says Russian bishop

April 29, 2012

FOCUS News Agency

What is most important to the Macedonian Orthodox Church is for it to return to the canonical field, bishop Hilarion, Chairman of External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, said in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio.

He says there are many models of church structure, which, without obligatory recognition of autocephaly, can give the church actual independence.

“I think we should not stick to Greek terms, such as autocephaly and autonomy. It is necessary to set up a model that would satisfy the Macedonian church, but which will enable it [the church] to keep in contact with the canonical Orthodox churches and not to stay outside this process, as it does now,” said bishop Hilarion.

According to him the issue should be settled in a dialog between the Serbian and Macedonian orthodox churches. The Russian Orthodox Church is always ready to help in this process and suggest solutions based on our own experience, he added.

He says the Balkans is a very complex region.

It is not an accident that the world wars started with the Balkans and today the region is at a crossroads of two civilization paradigms. On the side, this is the western civilization, which works in favor of secular values, and the view of the world through this prism. On the other side, the east Christian heritage preserved by the local orthodox churches is very important in the process of globalization when the Balkan countries integrate into the European Union, bishop Hilarion said further in the interview.

He also noted the relations between Russia and Bulgaria were developing and added there were no problems between the two churches.

If canons are so important, Macedonian Church should return to Bulgarian Church: historian

April 29, 2012

FOCUS News Agency

If you consider the issue from the point of view of the genesis of today’s Macedonian Archbishopric, it could return to canonical communication with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, historian Associate Professor Plamen Pavlov, a lecturer with the University of Veliko Tarnovo, said in an interview with FOCUS News Agency.

He was asked to comment on the statement of bishop Hilarion, Chairman of External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, that the Macedonian Orthodox Church should return to the canonical field and its future should be determined in a dialog with the Serbian Orthodox Church, from which the Macedonian one separated.

“I do not think the event of 1967 and then of 1991 – separation of today’s Macedonian Archbishopric from the Serbian Patriarchate – rests on any serious historical reasons. It rests on a huge historical injustice – seizure of these lands by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, also known as Yugoslavia, which was inherited by Communist Federation of Yugoslavia after the WWII,” said the historian.

According to him the Russian Patriarchate cannot say anything different. “If it says that the Macedonian Church should separate, the self-proclaimed Ukrainian Patriarchate could separate as well; so could the bishoprics in Moldova. The Russian church has the same problem with Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and, quite naturally, it will support the Serbian [Church]. But if it considers canons and orthodoxy so important, the Macedonian Church should return to the Bulgarian one. After all, Joseph I was the last legal spiritual head of these people,” he added.

Archbishop Demetrios Requests From Hilary Clinton Release of Archbishop Jovan

The Archbishop of America of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America with seat in New York, Archbishop Demetrios, sent a letter to the US Secretary of State, Ms. Hilary Clinton, in which he expressed his deep concern regarding the imprisonment of the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, and requested his immediate release.

In his addressing to the US Secretary of State, Ms. Hilary Clinton, Archbishop Demetrios of America points out: “in the name of the 65 Hierarchs who are part of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, I would like to draw Your attention to the truly sad situation in which Archbishop of Ohrid Jovan is found”, and adds: “his arrest has several years long history, from the time when the schismatic church of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia began the persecution of Archbishop Jovan, the canonical Archbishop of Ohrid. The church of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is not recognized by any canonical Orthodox Church in the world, and her constitution by the internal powers is only one more example of action which is contrary to what is right and what is proper, and what is in accordance with the Canonical right of the Orthodox Church across the ecumene.

Archbishop Demetrios in his letter to Ms. Hilary Clinton also states: “With the members of our Assembly who reside and serve to the orthodox believers in the United States, we very much appreciate what our country is doing in the world regarding the human rights, religious freedoms and the protection of the human dignity and security of each person. Archbishop Jovan has been unjustly imprisoned while he was attempting to fulfill his religious obligations and we sincerely hope that our Government will intercede in his name and request his release on freedom.

We are deeply grateful to You for your unceasing efforts, especially for the improvement of the religious freedoms around the world. As Orthodox Christians, the most suitable way to express our gratitude is to continue to pray for You and for all our civil authorities, and pray that God be with You and greatly multiply Your noble efforts for America and for the whole world”, are the words with which Archbishop Demetrios concludes his appeal for immediate release of Archbishop Jovan, an appeal addressed to the US Secretary of State, Ms. Hilary Clinton.

Information Service of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric

Scientists Ponder Fresco 'Miracle' in Skopje

Experts say analysis should shed some light on the alleged miracle in St Demetrius Church in Skopje where frescoes that appear to have changed colors have drawn thousands of Orthodox believers.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic
April 9, 2012
Balkan Insight

Macedonia's National Conservation Centre says it will release the results of analysis of the frescoes next week, after Orthodox Easter.

“We have taken samples from the church walls and from the frescoes and they are currently being subjected to analysis to see what might have caused this,” one official told Balkan Insight.

He said he “does not wish to speculate ahead of time” about what might have caused the frescoes to change colour and tone.

Orthodox believers continue to flock to the church in Skopje to see what they believe was a genuine miracle. Long lines of believers have appeared since Monday after a TV report on the occurrence was aired the previous day.

The gold aureoles around the painted saints on the church walls have become brighter while the paint itself is noticeably sharper than before.


Kosta Balabanov, an art historian, says the apparent cleansing of the frescoes might be due to increased humidity, which could have caused condensation on the walls.

The slick golden surface of the aureoles was most noticeably cleansed of decades-old deposits generated by smoke from candles, he notes.

He says that the cleansing effect is less visible on the wall paintings, which may be because the deposits penetrated deeper into their surface, making them harder to clean.

“This occurrence is well known and documented,” he says. “Certain interventions from the human factor most probably helped speed this process.”

Experts from Macedonia's Directorate for Cultural Heritage Protection have also taken a look. Pasko Kuzman, head of the Directorate, made no predictions.

“I do not wish explanations offered by experts to infringe on people’s belief in a miracle,” Kuzman said.

After initially proclaiming the event a miracle, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the country’s principal religious community, is now sounding more cautious.

“Time will tell if it’s a miracle,” said Bishop Petar, a spokesperson for the Church, “but I don’t think anyone came in at night and cleaned the frescoes, especially those located high up on the ceiling.”

The church, located in the old Jewish district between Skopje’s Stone Bridge and the entrance to the Turkish Bazar, is one of the oldest existing churches in the city.

Believed to have been erected in the 16th century, the church gained its modern form in the 1890s after a thorough reconstruction.

The frescoes have been a matter of discussion between Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at their meeting on Tuesday in Istanbul, the President’s office said.

Frescoes at St. Dimitrija Church in Skopje Mystify Worshippers

April 9, 2012
Associated Press

Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers from across Macedonia are lining up to visit a church where a cleric says frescoes of saints have begun to appear brighter in color without any obvious explanation.

Father Zoran of Saint Dimitrija Church in Skopje, the capital, said Monday that the murals, long obscured by the residue of candle smoke, began to appear clearer over the weekend, with red and gold colors becoming more noticeable.

That has prompted worshippers to flock to the church ahead of Orthodox Easter next Sunday.

About two-thirds of Macedonia's 2.1 million people have been baptized Orthodox Christian.

Archbishop Jovan Transferred to the Strictest Closed Section of the Prison

His Beatitude Archbishop of Ochrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, on January 16th, in the afternoon hours, was transferred from the prison reception section to the closed section of the prison.

Although the procedure of deciding whether he should be allowed a retrial and be released free pending trial is still not finished, the prison authorities decided to put Archbishop Jovan in the section where the sanctions with strictest treatment are executed.

The sentence that Archbishop Jovan received in the court process in which he was sentenced in his absence is two years and 6 months imprisonment, which is not at all a sentence deserving the strictest closed treatment, since other prisoners, sentenced to much longer prison terms, are receiving the open, or the semi-open treatment.

According to the information reaching the public, that decision is the result of the demands of the schismatic Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) which insisted Archbishop Jovan be confined under most strict prison conditions, and make all communications outside the prison more difficult for him.

From the Office of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and Metropolitanate of Skopje.

Assembly of Bishops Condemns Imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan by FYROM and Asks for His Release

December 27, 2011, New York

Upon receiving the information that Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid was arrested on December 12, 2011, while entering the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from the border with Greece, the Hierarchs of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America reaffirm the position taken by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) in August 2005, and furthermore restate that the persecution and new imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan by FYROM are an outrage, and ask for his immediate release.

This arrest has a history of several years and began when the schismatic church of FYROM started persecuting the canonical Archbishopric of Ochrid, an autonomous part of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

This imprisonment, as did the previous ones, violates religious freedom in a supposedly free state. That a recognized, canonical Orthodox Christian hierarch can be imprisoned once again under false allegations, and while trying to fulfill his religious responsibilities, is simply absurd.

We join again the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church in demanding the release of Archbishop Jovan. We ask the government of FYROM to correct this injustice and to free Archbishop Jovan without delay. Furthermore, we call upon our governments to intercede and implement appropriate measures to hasten this process.

Source

Is Macedonia the Troll of the Balkans?

Nikola Petrov
July 5, 2011
Novinite

What do Alexander the Great, Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great and medieval Bulgarian ruler Samuil have in common?

They are all historical figures who happened to be active at a certain point in the Balkan region of Macedonia, which includes parts of what nowadays are Bulgaria and Greece, as well as the whole eponymous country.

So, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, whose independent history as a nation started no earlier than 1944, decided to celebrate these and other great rulers raising massive monuments in their honor, a gesture that aims at "proving" they are all, in fact, Macedonian.

"The Very Ancient (Former Yugoslav) Republic of Macedonia" may look like a possible solution to the name dispute with Greece now. It does sound ridiculous, but spending tens of millions of a nation's meager state budget on building kitsch statues of foreign heroes and a triumphal arch (?) in the capital trying to substantiate your made-up history is no less ridiculous.

Of course, Macedonia is an independent country and may spend its money in any bizarre ways it feels like. But the problem is that its neighbors feel like their historical legacy is being mocked with.

Even though no independent historian would take the Macedonian provocations seriously, it is quite annoying – the way trolls in Internet forums are annoying, and even more so.

Needless to say, I do not mean to generalize about the whole Macedonian nation – there a lot of normally thinking individuals, too – and they even had oppositional media until recently.

But if the Macedonian government in particular does not change it childish attitude, the country may very well lose its EU candidate status, as Commissioner Stefan Fuele already warned. Unlike most Balkan politicians, he is not likely to be joking around.

Read also:

Macedonia Erects Alexander The Great Statue

Macedonia Erects Monument of Great Bulgarian Tsar Samuil

Sofia to Let Macedonia Enjoy Monument of Great Bulgarian Tsar Samuil

Macedonia Encouraged to Build Monuments of 6 More Medieval Bulgarian Tsars

Security Prevents Bishop From Burial In Skopje

Aimilios Polygenis
May 13, 2011
Romfea.gr

During a funeral service in the city of Kavadarci in Skopje, security sent from the so-called "Macedonian Church of Skopje" tried to prevent the service from being performed. This order came from the schismatic metropolitan Agathangelos.

The funeral was for a 60 year old man who was the father of an Orthodox nun. The service was being performed by the Orthodox bishop Mark with Hieromonk Irenaeus who are under the Orthodox Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid.

It should be noted that cemeteries in Skopje are democratic, so that any citizen is allowed to be buried in them. "Church authorites" had no right to prevent the burial; an unprecedented event for a nation seeking westernization.

The canonical Archdiocese of Ochrid has submitted complaints against this macabre spectacle.

Radical Islam On Rise In Balkans

Konstantin Testorides
September 19, 2010
The Associated Press

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- An online music video praising Osama bin Laden has driven home a troubling new reality: A radical brand of Islam embraced by al-Qaida and the Taliban is gaining a foothold in the Balkans.

"Oh Osama, annihilate the American army. Oh Osama, raise the Muslims' honor," a group of Macedonian men sing in Albanian, in video posted on YouTube last year and picked up by Macedonian media this August. "In September 2001 you conquered a power. We all pray for you."

Although most of Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority are Muslims, they have generally been secular. But experts are now seeing an increasing radicalization in pockets of the country's Islamic community, particularly after armed groups from the ethnic Albanian minority, which forms a quarter of the population of 2.1 million, fought a brief war against Macedonian government forces in 2001.

It's a trend seen across the Balkans and has raised concerns that the region, which includes new European Union member Bulgaria, could become a breeding ground for terrorists with easy access to Western Europe. Many fear that radicalized European Muslims with EU passports could slip across borders and blend into society.

At the center of the issue is the Wahhabi sect, an austere brand of Islam most prevalent in Saudi Arabia and practiced by bin Laden and the Taliban.

"Wahhabism in Macedonia, the Balkans and in Europe has become more aggressive in the last 10 years," said Jakub Selimovski, head of religious education in Macedonia's Islamic community. He said Wahhabis were establishing a permanent presence in Macedonia where none existed before, and that "they are in Bosnia, here, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia and lately they have appeared in Bulgaria."

It is the first time a high-ranking official in the former Yugoslav republic's Islamic community has agreed to speak openly about the presence and threat of radical Islam.

In Bulgaria, nearly one-sixth of the population of 7.6 million are Muslims who adhere to conventional Sunni beliefs. Ethnic peace has been maintained in the last 20 years. As elsewhere in the Balkans, however, Wahhabi incursions have led to a struggle for control of religion and Islamic community-owned property.

Large amounts of money, allegedly from Muslim organizations abroad, have been spent in Bulgaria since the mid-1990s for more than 150 new mosques and so called "teaching centers" to spread Wahhabism.

According to Bulgaria's former chief mufti, Nedim Gendzhev, some Muslim organizations were aiming to create a "fundamentalist triangle" formed by Bosnia, Macedonia and Bulgaria's Western Rhodope mountains. Local newspaper reports say radical Islam is being preached in different cities and villages in southern and northeastern Bulgaria.

In 2003, Bulgarian authorities shut down a number of Islamic centers on the grounds they allegedly belonged to Islamic groups financed mainly by Saudi Arabians that possibly also had links to "radical organizations" such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Official statements said that the centers were shut down "to prevent terrorists getting a foothold in Bulgaria."

However, centers where radical brands of Islam are preached continue to to crop up in the country, said political analyst Dimitar Avramov.

"Along with the three official Muslim schools, there are at least seven other which are not registered and not controlled by the state," he said, adding that in the last 20 years some 3,000 young Muslims have graduated from these schools.

In neighboring Serbia last year, 12 Muslims - allegedly Wahhabis - from the tense southern Sandzak region were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for planning terrorist attacks, including on the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade. The presence of radical Muslims in Sandzak, the poorest region of Serbia, is linked to the advent of mujahedeen foreign fighters who joined Bosnian Muslims in their battle against the Serbs in Bosnia's 1992-95 independence war.

In Bosnia, the issue of Wahhabi influence is one of the most politically charged debates, with Bosnian Serbs maintaining there is a huge presence of Wahhabis in the country and Muslim Bosniaks downplaying the issue and at times claiming it does not exist.

Juan Carlos Antunez, a Spanish military specialist in religious extremism with years of experience in Bosnia, estimates there are about 3,000 people in Bosnia who have embraced this interpretation of Islam and only a small fraction of them are a potential security threat.

In a study prepared for the Sarajevo-based Center for Advanced Studies in May, Antunez argued that Bosnia's official Islamic Community has been successful in curbing Wahhabi influence. Although it did not aggressively ostracize the Wahhabis, it strictly controls the appointments of imams in mosques and lecturers in Islamic educational institutions in the country.

Ahmet Alibasic, a lecturer at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo, said most Wahhabis in Bosnia refrain from criticizing the Islamic Community and were even calling for unity among Muslims.

"Their influence reached its peak in 2000, but it has since started falling and it continues to fall," Alibasic said, adding that measures taken by Bosnian authorities after 9/11 had a significant effect as the movement began to lose power after the closure and banning of several Islamic, mostly Saudi-backed, charities which funded the movement.

In Albania, the issue is also charged. Ilir Kulla, former head of the government's department on religious issues, insisted the Wahhabis had not caused any problems in Albania.

Kulla said hundreds of young Albanian men had been educated in universities in the Middle East, including in Saudi Arabia, and were now mosque leaders, but that there had been no attempt by Wahhabis to challenge the leadership of the country's Muslim Community, which he insisted was still moderate.

But in Macedonia, the increasing clout of radical Islam is causing a rift in the country's Muslim community, with a power struggle developing within the country's official Islamic Religious Community between the moderate mainstream and the emerging Wahhabi wing.

"A destructive, radical and extremist current has appeared with an intention of taking over the lead of the Islamic religious community," Selimovski said.

Authorities in Macedonia are reluctant to confirm any threat of radical Islam in the country. But a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, did acknowledge that "radical groups and their followers are being closely observed."

Last year, three ethnic Albanian brothers originally from Macedonia were implicated - along with a Jordanian, a Turk and a Kosovo Albanian living in the U.S. - in an alleged plot to attack the U.S. Army's Fort Dix military base in New Jersey. No attack was ever staged on the base, which is used largely to train U.S. reservists bound for Iraq.

"Macedonia is part of the international coalition in the fight against terrorism and it cannot be excluded from the responsibility to observe and respond to any possible activity or emerging of terrorists," Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski told the AP.

Moderate Muslims say the Wahhabi sect now controls five mosques in Skopje even though the Islamic Religious Community has suspended the man they claim is the sect's leader, Ramadan Ramadani, as imam of the Isa Beg mosque in Skopje, and prohibited him from organizing prayers.

But Ramadani, who has launched a petition seeking supporters to overturn the current Community leadership, rejects any accusation of radicalism, saying his opponents are scaremongering.

"They need my name to have somebody to frighten people," Ramadani said. "I do not know any individuals or structures here that could be defined as Wahhabi. It is the attempt of political labeling and stigmatizing people who want reforms."

Ramadani insisted that Macedonia's Islamic community had nothing to do with the online song supporting bin Laden, and denied Macedonian media reports that it had been played in mosques there.

"Bin Laden is nothing for the Muslims in Macedonia," Ramadani said. "He is not our hero."

---

Associated Press writers Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Sabina Niksic in Sarajevo, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Llazar Semini in Tirana, Nebi Qena in Pristina and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report.