The acceptance of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric into the global Orthodox communion continues as another Local Church has officially resolved to recognize its canonical status. The Council of Bishops of the Polish Orthodox Church gathered in Warsaw on 27. October 2022 under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, with the participation of every bishop of the Polish Church, reports the chancellery of the Polish Council of Bishops.

The hierarchs addressed a number of internal and external affairs, including the Serbian Church’s recent granting of autocephaly to the Macedonian Church. The information from the Serbian Patriarch about the independence of the Orthodox Church in North Macedonia was read. The Holy Council of Bishops joyfully took note of this information and confirmed the prayerful connection with the given Church. It’s noteworthy that, like the Russian Church in August, the Polish Church explicitly recognizes the Macedonian Church as autocephalous.

Earlier this month, the Antiochian Holy Synod resolved to enter into eucharistic communion with the Macedonian Church, though with “the general Orthodox consensus about the name and legal status of this Church will be reached as soon as possible.”

Thus far, the canonicity of the MOC has been formally recognized by (in addition to the Patriarchate of Serbia) the Synods of the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Bulgaria, Russia, Antioch, and the Churches of Greece and Poland. Whereas the Russian and Polish Churches explicitly recognize the autocephaly of the Macedonian Church, the Church of Greece explicitly rejects it on the grounds that only Constantinople can grant autocephaly, though it nevertheless accepts the Macedonian Church as canonical.

MOC hierarchs and clergy have also concelebrated with hierarchs and clergy from the Churches of Jerusalem, Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and the Orthodox Church in America, though their Synods have not formally addressed the issue. Thus far, there have no been Synodal decisions from or concelebrations with hierarchs or clergy of the Churches of Alexandria, Georgia, Cyprus, and Albania. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 27. Oktober 2022)