List of heads of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
The Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia (Macedonian: Архиепископ Охридски и Македонски) is the title given to the primate of the unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church. The Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia exercises jurisdiction over Orthodox members in the Republic of North Macedonia and in exarchates in the diaspora. Additionally to the title "Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia", the title "mister mister" (господин господин) is given, always after the first one.
The current archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia is Stefan Veljanovski, who was elected in 1999 following the passing of Archbishop Mihail Gogov.
On 4 October 1958, the schismatic group of bishops in NR Macedonia uncanonically declared Dositej the "Archbishop of Ohrid, and Skopje, and Metropolitan of Macedonia" in Ohrid. Following the Communist regime's pressure, the Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church recognized Dositej as the Metropolitan of Skopje. 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, leading to an open schism, the move not recognized by the Serbian Orthodox Church nor any other autocephalous church. Dositej and the other bishops of the schismatic Orthodox Church in Macedonia were indicted in the canonical Serbian Orthodox Church court.[1] In the following years there were repeated negotiations on settlement, but without results. Dositej continued holding the status of schismatic.
List of Archbishops of Ohrid and Macedonia
| Name | Reign | Birth Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dositej Доситеј |
1968–1981 | Dimitrije Stojković[2] | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Angelarios Ангелариј |
1981–1986 | Cvetko Krsteski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Gabriel II Гаврил II |
1986–1992 | Ǵorǵi Milošev | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Michael Михаил |
1992–1999 | Metodi Gogov | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Stephen Стефан |
1999–current | Stojan Veljanovski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
See also
- Macedonian Orthodox Church
- List of archbishops of the Archbishopric of Ohrid
- Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric
References
- ^ Puzović 1999, p. 167–171.
- ^ 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
- Official Website of the MOC (in Macedonian)