Macedonian bishop responds to accusations of espionage: “You have to actually prove your claims”

Debar, North Macedonia, March 14, 2024

Photo: liturgija.mk Photo: liturgija.mk     

Let those who accuse hierarchs of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric of espionage actually prove their claims, says the spokesman for the MOC-OA Synod.

His Eminence Metropolitan Timotej of Debar and Kičevo commented on remarks from Professor Marjan Đurovski from the Security Institute of the Faculty of Philosophy, who claimed on Tuesday that MOC hierarchs

are involved in espionage for non-Western intelligence services, which represents a security risk and threat both to the Macedonian Church internally and to the state, because it fosters discord, undermines societal and identity security, and is an additional burden for the recognition of the MOC-OA.

The professor also referred to a claim from Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski that “members of the Synod are collaborators of the Russian intelligence service, according to strictly confidential information.”

According to Met. Timotej, such accusations are baseless:

I can say for myself that I don’t engage in such activities, and honestly, I don’t think the other bishops and members of the Synod engage in espionage either. There’s a Serbian saying that goes, “Fear has big eyes.” This is a classic American game. You see, once they say something, our people don’t wait to be told twice. I have no information whether any Macedonian bishop and member of the Synod has been called for a discussion due to espionage accusations. At the end of the day, every bishop has a name and a surname, so let the president of the country come out and say that this specific person is collaborating with foreign services to the detriment of Macedonia. Because, in the same way, we could also come out and say, for example, that the head of the state is a traitor to his people. But, how would we prove what we say? Therefore, the president is also obligated to prove his claims, not just state them.

Another MOC-OA hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Agathangel of Povardarie, also responded over the weekend to accusations of “Russian influence” (aimed against the autocephaly of the Macedonian Church), emphasizing that while the MOC-OA is influenced by great Russian saints, just as it is by great Greek saints, there is no nefarious “Russian influence” on the hierarchs to speak of.

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3/14/2024

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