The current month, February, has witnessed several developments related to recognition of the Archdiocese of Ohrid, months after the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople resumed eucharistic communion, after 55 years of non-recognition, with the dominant Orthodox Church in the Republic of North Macedonia.
The landmark decision by the Mother Church was followed in close order by the Patriarchate of Serbia, whose recognition opened the path for autocephaly status. The Ecumenical Patriarchate had declared that it left up to the Patriarchate of Serbia to regulate administrative issues between it and the Archdiocese of Ohrid, while making it absolutely clear, however, that that the Ecumenical Patriarchate excludes the term “Macedonian” and any other derivative of the word “Macedonia”, recognizing the name of the Church as Ohrid.
Recognitions of the canonical status and autocephaly of the Archdiocese of Ohrid came last week from the Holy Synod of the Church of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, followed by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Romania and, lastly, the Patriarchate of Georgia.
The Republic of North Macedonia lies due north of the Greek province of Macedonia, the latter being the land that more closely approximates to the ancient Macedonian Kingdom, and which comprises more than half of geographical Macedonia.