site.btaBulgarian, Macedonian Church Commissions Meet in Sofia to Outline Steps for Establishment of Macedonian Church's Canonical Status

Sofia, December 22 (BTA) - In the wake of a letter from the Macedonian Church requesting that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, as its mother-church, recognize its autocephaly, two committees formed by the two Orthodox churches, consisting of five metropolitans each, met in Sofia on December 21, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said in a press release on Friday.

The sides discussed the situation surrounding the Macedonian Orthodox Church and its canonical status and, "like-minded for the sake of doing good and their fraternal relationship, outlined steps for the implementation of the decision adopted by the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on November 27, 2017," the press release reads.

On November 27, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said that, "considering that the Macedonian Orthodox Church acknowledges the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as its mother-church, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, in full awareness of its sacred duty, undertakes to cooperate with, and assist the Macedonian Orthodox Church before the local orthodox churches to establish its canonical status."

For half a century now, the Macedonian Orthodox Church has been in a schism after its unilateral declaration of autocephaly in Ohrid on July 17, 1967 while Macedonia was still part of Yugoslavia. So far, no local orthodox church has recognized the independence of the Macedonian Church.