Phoenix, Arizona, July 16, 2025
Orthodox Church in America
The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America has formally recognized the autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric.
The decision, made by the Holy Synod on May 21, was announced at the OCA’s All-American Council, which is currently being held in Phoenix, the OCA reports.
The recognition came at the request of His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije, primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which granted autocephaly to the Macedonian Church in June 2022.
Plans are underway for His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada to concelebrate with the Macedonian primate, His Beatitude Archbishop Stefan of Ohrid, at the OCA’s St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, DC.
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Overall, the autocephaly of the Macedonian Church is recognized by the Churches of Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, and the OCA, in addition to the Serbian Church that granted it.
Meanwhile, the Churches of Constantinople, Greece, Antioch, Georgia, and Albania recognize the Macedonian Church as canonical but not autocephalous.
MOC hierarchs and clergy have also concelebrated with hierarchs and clergy from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, though its Synod hasn’t formally addressed the issue.
Thus far, there have been no Synodal decisions from or concelebrations with hierarchs or clergy of the Churches of Alexandria and Cyprus.
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