Professor Dzurovski tells Telegraf: Church and state leaderships are writing new history of Balkan peoples

Photo: Private archive, spc.rs

University professor from Skopje Marjan Dzurovski told Telegraf.rs today, on the occasion of the decision of the SPC Assembly to accept and bless the autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric (MPC-OA), that the church, which he said was once retrograde, has now together with the state leadership of Serbia and North Macedonia enabled the two countries to be an example of stability and good relations.

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A connoisseur of church relations in the Balkans thanked Patriarch Porfirije and the SPC Assembly for the decision to accept the autocephaly of the MPC OA, assessing that it was good news for the church there and the Macedonian people.

"The news is even more important because it comes immediately after the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on admission of the MPC (OA) into the canonical unity," said Dzurovski.

He expressed his belief that Patriarch of Porfirije would soon send an invitation letter to the ecumenical patriarch to sign a tomos for the recognition of the full autocephaly of the Ohrid Archbishopric.

"Today is a historic day for two nations and two states, Serbia and North Macedonia. This is an investment in good relations and now there will be almost no open issues between the Macedonian and Serbian people," said Dzurovski, reminding that Macedonians trust their close neighbors with whom they share the past, present and, he is convinced, the future.

Photo: spc.rs

Dzurovski believes that now is the time to launch an initiative to, on the feast day of St. Elijah on August 2, put back the ASNOM memorial plaque on the Prohor Pcijski monastery (the plaque says that this is where the foundations of Macedonian statehood were laid in 1990).

"The return of the ASNOM memorial plaque to the Prohor Pcinjski Monastery will be confirmation of mutual trust and acceptance of the statehood of our two republics, and that there are no open issues between us," Dzurovski underlined.

Dzurovski describes today's event in connection with the announcement of autocephaly of the MPC OA as "Open Church Balkan" adding that churches in the past were part of some conflicts, now they are announcing a call for peace, stability and joint development and cooperation.

"We thank the ecumenical patriarch and the Serbian patriarch for enabling us to come out of isolation. Our common future is in Europe, without open bilateral issues, and the decision of the Serbian Orthodox Church to confirm autocephaly and complete the recognition of our church contributes to that," said Dzurovski.

He added that the joint liturgy in Skopje speaks of mutual trust between the two peoples.

"The message sent by the head of the Macedonian church, Stefan and Patriarch Porfirije says that the times have completely changed in the Balkans and that a new history of the Balkan peoples is being written. There is no more room for open questions here," Dzurovski concluded.

(Telegraf.rs)