List of heads of the Macedonian Orthodox Church

Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia (Macedonian: Архиепископ Охридски и Македонски) is the title given to the primate of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia exercises jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox members in the Republic of North Macedonia and in exarchates in the diaspora.

Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia and of Justiniana Prima
Archbishopric
Eastern Orthodox
Incumbent:
Stefan
since 10 October 1999
StyleHis Beatitude
Location
ResidenceChurch of St. Clement of Ohrid, Skopje
Church of Saint Sophia, Ohrid
Information
First holderDositej II (modern)
DenominationEastern Orthodox
Established535/1018 (historical)
1959 (modern)
Website
mpc.org.mk

The current archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia is Stefan Veljanovski, who was elected in 1999 following the passing of Archbishop Mihail Gogov.

History

On 4 October 1958, the group of bishops in the SR Macedonia declared Dositej the "Archbishop of Ohrid, and Skopje, and Metropolitan of Macedonia" in Ohrid.[1] Following the Communist regime's pressure, the Bishops' Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church retroactively recognized Dositej as the Metropolitan of Skopje on 19 June 1959. 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, the move not recognized by the Serbian Orthodox Church nor any other autocephalous church, leading to a schism. Dositej and the other bishops of the schismatic Orthodox Church in Macedonia were indicted in the Serbian Orthodox Church court.[2]

On 16 May 2022, Archbishop Stefan became the first Archbishop of Ohrid to be canonically recognized since Dositej, owing to the resolution by the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church to accept the canonical status of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[3]

List of archbishops of Ohrid and Macedonia
Name Portrait Reign Birth Name Title
Dositheus II 1967–1981 Dimitrije Stojković[4] Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Angelarios 1981–1986 Cvetko Krsteski Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Gabriel II 1986–1993 Ǵorǵi Milošev Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Michael 1993–1999 Metodi Gogov Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Stephen 1999–present Stojan Veljanovski Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia

See also

References
  1. "YUGOSLAVS AVOID CHURCH DIVISION; Macedonians Restore Old Diocese, but Recognize Serbian Patriarch". The New York Times. 6 October 1958. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  2. Puzović 1999, p. 167–171.
  3. "Саопштење Светог Архијерејског Сабора | Српскa Православнa Црквa [Званични сајт]". www.spc.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  4. 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.
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