SPC to bring ecclesiastical charges against MPC Archbishop

BELGRADE - The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) announced Tuesday its decision to bring ecclesiastical charges against Archbishop Stefan, head of the canonically unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church (MPC).

The Synod issued a statement saying that by “inveterate persistence in schism” the MPC participates in un-Christian persecution of Archbishop Jovan, canonically recognized head of the autonomous Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid, and its priests, monks and believers.

At the Holy Assembly in May, the SPC underlined that it is ready to start a dialogue “on establishing the canonical order, religious peace and brotherly love with the church in the neighboring and friendly Macedonia”, stressing that the condition for this is the release of the unjustly incarcerated Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid.

The Assembly noted that Archbishop Jovan was arrested on the demand of top dignitaries of the Macedonian church, which it considers as schismatic.

It also noted that the same message to the canonically unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church was also sent by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Kyril I of Moscow.

In July this year, the Macedonian Appellate Court upheld the first instance ruling sentencing Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan Vraniskovski to three years in prison for the embezzlement of EUR 250,000.

SPC Archbishop Jovan received a three-year prison sentence on July 2, 2013 in Skopje. He appealed this judgment in November, but the second instance court dismissed the appeal as unfounded.

In his submission to the Skopje Appellate Court, Vraniskovski stated that “12 years since it was established, the Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid has been...