Serbian Church recognises the autocephaly of Macedonia

On 24 May, during the visit of Patriarch Porfirios of Serbia to North Macedonia, he announced the decision of the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church to recognise the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of North Macedonia (Ohrid Archdiocese). 

At the same time, the Patriarchate of Constantinople announced that it would grant the Church a tomos, a decree granting and defining the rights and privileges of the autocephalous Church.

We recall that on 9 May the Patriarchate of Constantinople announced the restoration of communion with the Archdiocese of Ohrid. Shortly afterwards, the Church of Serbia made the same announcement. The Patriarchate of Constantinople took up the issue of Northern Macedonia in 2018.

As in the case of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Church of Northern Macedonia was separated from the former centre of the empire (in the case of Macedonia, Serbia). As a result, the Serbian Church leadership declared the North Macedonian clergy "schismatics" and excommunicated them. The schism lasted from 1967 until 2022, when, through the mediation of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the hierarchs of the Serbian and N. Macedonian Churches reconciled.