Initiative of Ecumenical Patriarch to resolve the issue of the Church of Skopje

Photo credit: NIkos Magginas | Ecumenical Patriarchate

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had a meeting with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, at Oliver Spasovski’s request, regarding the country’s ecclesiastical problem.

Photo credit: NIkos Magginas | Ecumenical Patriarchate

As the Ecumenical Patriarchate said in a statement, “The purpose of the visit was to examine the ecclesiastical problem of the country. The previous stages of the matter were discussed during the meeting.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, after the meeting with Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski and his predecessor Zoran Zaev -which took place in a particularly warm climate,- made the decision to invite both sides, the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as the Church of Skopje, to a joint meeting, in an attempt to find a mutually acceptable solution to the country’s major ecclesiastical issue.

Photo credit: NIkos Magginas | Ecumenical Patriarchate

In the discussion the Ecumenical Patriarch was accompanied by the Metropolitans Emmanuel of France, Maximos of Silibria, Amfilochios of Adrianople, Archimandrite Ioakim and Deacon Gregorios, Chief Secretary and Under-secretary of the Holy and Great Synod respectively, and Archon Didaskalos of the Nation (Genous), Professor Konstantinos Delikonstantis, and Director of the First Patriarchal Office.

Photo credit: NIkos Magginas | Ecumenical Patriarchate