Belgrade, 25 July 2022 (MIA) – Let me thank the Serbian state for its support amid these times full of temptations, says Pontiff of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric (MOC-OA), HH Archbishop Stefen in an interview with daily Politika, MIA reports from Belgrade. “Recognition of the undeniable fact over the existence of the Macedonian church’s independence is of enormous significance for us and the world orthodoxy. The settlement of our canonical status has healed the open wound with the other orthodox churches,” says Archbishop Stefan. According to him, recognition of MOC-OA will benefit all orthodox churches because “the Macedonian orthodoxy and Macedonia in general can give the orthodox world a lot”. “Due to the stigma of separation, many God-seekers from the entire world were discouraged from visiting Macedonia. This has now changed and many will get the opportunity to witness our spiritual richness, our ancient churches and monasteries, frescos and icons, seeing Macedonia as a country-church and a country of the cross,” says HH Stefan. On the negotiations with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), he says letters addressed to Belgrade did not yield fruits over the years and that is why MOC-OA turned to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to mediate in the issue. “The election of Patriarch Porfirij as SOC pontiff and the support of the SOC Synod and Council opened a new page in the relations between the two churches, for which we are immensely grateful,” adds Stefan. Regarding the expectations for the autocephaly Tomos from Patriarch Bartholomew, the MOC-OA head says a bit more patience is needed. “Yes, the Ecumenical Patriarch received MOC-OA in canonical unity with the orthodox ecumene. I don’t know when we can expect to get the official document confirming our autocephaly, but considering the Ecumenical Patriarch’s sincere wish to help us, we are certain this act will come in the near future. We ask the Lord for a bit more patience,” says Stefan. On the MOC-OA name, the pontiff says the church is as much Macedonian as it is Ohrid. “We are aware of the sensibility of the issue over our name among the so-called Greek bloc of churches. Therefore, we will not ask them to call us by a name they do not want. Since we are successors of the famous Ohrid Archbishopric, it is no problem if they call us by that name. On the other hand, I am certain that the archpriests and the people of the hellenophone orthodox world will realize that we cannot call ourselves by any other name than Macedonians, and our church is, for us, both Macedonian and Ohrid. We will have to work on this, but faith and love can move mountains. We can easily come to a solution if both sides act through the love of God,” underlines HH Stefan in the interview.