Zagreb, Croatia, May 22, 2023
Photo: Facebook
A year after the decades-long schism of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric was healed and the Serbian and Macedonian primates and hierarchs concelebrated in Belgrade, the primates have served together again, celebrating another first.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Church and His Eminence Archbishop Stefan of the MOC concelebrated on Sunday, May 21, in Zagreb, Croatia, consecrating the first church intended to serve the Macedonian diaspora within the canonical territory of the Serbian Church.
Photo: spc.rs
The primates were joined by other hierarchs and clergy from both churches for the service at the church consecrated in honor of St. Zlata of Maglen, an 18th-century New Martyr, reports the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Pat. Porfirije hailed the event as marking a great day for the city, the country, the Macedonian people, and the entire Orthodox Church. We are all created to be one in Christ, he said, “and that unity is most realistically organically realized in the Holy Liturgy served in holy churches sanctified by God.”
“Today we also served the Holy Liturgy and showed that we are one in Christ,” His Holiness continued.
Photo: spc.rs
These words are underlined by the fact that when work on the church began in 2014, Pat. Porfirije was the bishop of Zagreb and strongly opposed its construction, as the MOC was still schismatic at that time. However, now the MOC is fully canonical, one in Christ with the Orthodox Church.
The service was broadcast by the European Diocese of the MOC:
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