Archbishop Stefan (Veljanovski)

Archbishop Sefan (Veljanovski) (1955-____)

Stefan may be spelt Stephan, Stephen, Stepan, Stephanos.

Ohrid may be spelt Ochrid.

Early life of Stoyan Veljanovski

On 1 May, 1955, Stoyan Veljanovski was born in the village of Dobrushevo, Mogila Municipality near Bitola, in the People's Republic of Macedonia SFR Yugoslavia), today in North Macedonia.

In ancient times, this region was known as the Kingdom of Pæonia.

Many of the complexities regarding the Church of Macedonia are related to similar struggles faced by the Church of Bulgaria and the Church of Serbia in particular. All had lived and survived for several centuries under the oppressive yoke of the Ottoman Empire. When, in the 19th century, these regions began to achieve some independence (which became complete after the fall of the Ottoman Empire), their long histories of overlapping historical territories contributed to various difficulties regarding their mutual relationships.

Until 1945, this region was known as the Province of Vardar Banovina. After 1945, it and the main part of Serbia both became socialist republics.

Stoyan Veljanovski was born into an Orthodox Christian family, and he was raised as an Orthodox Christian within the Macedonian Orthodox Church. At that time, the Macedonian Orthodox Church was known as the Autonomous Ohrid Archdiocese of Saint Clement of the Church of Serbia. This archdiocese and the government had been associated historically with the Churches and the countries of both Serbia and Bulgaria.

He received his primary and secondary education in his home village and county. In 1959, because of strong pressure of the communist authorities, the Ohrid Archdiocese of Saint Clement became known as the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Schism of the Archdiocese of Macedonia from the Church of Serbia, 1967

In 1967, when Stoyan Veljanovski was 12 years old, the Macedonian Orthodox Church proclaimed itself unilaterally as being autocephalous. With this act, there began a schism from the Church of Serbia which would last for many decades. This particular schism kept the Church in Macedonia out of eucharistic communion with all the other Orthodox Churches for the duration.

Higher education

In 1969, Stoyan Veljanovski enrolled in the Macedonian Orthodox Theological Seminary of Saint Clement of Ohrid in Dračevo, a suburb of Skopje. He graduated from the seminary in 1974.

Later in 1974, Stoyan went on to study at the Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade. He graduated from the university in 1979.

Teaching and further study

Upon his return to Macedonia, the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church named him a teacher at the Theological Seminary in Skopje.

In 1980, Stoyan left for postgraduate studies at the Institute of Saint Nicholas (since 2005, "The Pugliese Theological Faculty") associated with the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Bari, Italy. The institute specialises in ecumenical-patristic and Greco-Byzantine studies.

In 1982, he received a master's degree from this institute.

When he returned to Macedonia, Stoyan became a lecturer at the Saint Clement of Ohrid Theological Faculty in Skopje.

Monastic tonsure, 1986

On 2 July, 1986, Stoyan Veljanovski was tonsured to be a monk in the Saint Naum monastery in Ohrid. He was given the name Stefan.

Diaconal ordination, 1986

On 3 July, 1986, Monk Stefan (Veljanovski) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate.

Presbyteral ordination, 1986

On 6 July, 1986, Hierodeacon Stefan (Veljanovski) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood.

Episcopal ordination, 1986

On 12 July, 1986, Hieromonk Stefan (Veljanovski) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate by bishops of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Episcopal service

Bishop Stefan (Veljanovski) was elevated to the dignity of metropolitan, and he was assigned to serve as Metropolitan of Zletovo and Strumica.

Metropolitan of America and Canada, 1987

From 1987 to 1989, Metropolitan Stefan (Veljanovski) was in charge of the Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada. (In 1981, the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand had been distinguished from the original all-encompassing diaspora diocese centred in North America.) The cathedral in the USA is the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The cathedral in Canada is the Cathedral of Saint Clement of Ohrid in Toronto, Ontario.

Metropolitan of Bregalnica, 1989

In 1989, Metropolitan Stefan (Veljanovski) was assigned to serve as Metropolitan of Bregalnica.

In 1990, in addition, Metropolitan Stefan was appointed rector of the Orthodox Seminary in Skopje. At the same time, he served as spokesman for the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church ; as editor-in-chief of the church's official gazette "Church Life" (Црковен живот) ; and as secretary-general of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and Macedonia.

Independence of North Macedonia, 1991

In 1991, the state of North Macedonia (at that time called by some as the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia) was separated peacefully from Yugoslavia. There followed a lengthy controversy (particularly with Greece) about the nature of the name of the country. There remained some residual tensions with Bulgaria, to which the territory at one time had belonged.

Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, 1999

On 9 and 10 October, 1999, in Ohrid, the Church National Assembly (an assembly of clerics and laymen) elected Metropolitan Stefan (Veljanovski) to be the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. He was confirmed in this election by the Holy Synod of Bishops, and he was enthroned as such by these bishops.

Responding to concerns that Vladika Stefan was only 44 years old when he was elected, Protodeacon Slave Projkovski said the Macedonian Orthodox Church had confidence in Vladika Stefan's intellectual and moral maturity. Protodeacon Projkovski added that the future of the Church did not depend on Archbishop Stefan alone, since, as head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, he was merely the first among equals.

However, the effects of the 1967 schism continued.

Negotiations between the Macedonian and Serbian Churches, 2002-2003

In an attempt to restore its canonical status and gain recognition from the Orthodox Churches, the Macedonian Orthodox Church entered negotiations with the Serbian Orthodox Church from which it had been separated since its self-declared autocephaly in 1967. These negotiations led to an agreement that was signed in Niš in June, 2002 : the Niš Agreement. Niš is a large and very old city in southern Serbia. The agreement that was reached implied that the widest ecclesiastical autonomy of the dioceses in the Republic of Macedonia would be recognised. In return, the Ohrid Archbishopric would retain the single symbolic link with the Church of Serbia in which the election of the head of the Orthodox Church in of Macedonia would be confirmed by the Serbian Patriarch. According to the agreement, the dioceses in the Republic of Macedonia could use its current name “Macedonian Orthodox Church” in official communications.

The agreement was signed by all 7 Serbian bishops and 5 of the 7 Macedonian bishops.

Opposite reactions regarding the Niš Agreement

On their return from the meeting, the bishops of the Macedonian Orthodox Church were exposed to severe criticism for signing this agreement ; and although for a short time they attempted to defend it, the agreement was soon rejected by the Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Forces in Macedonian society contributed significantly to the rejection.

On the other hand, the Serbian Orthodox Church continued to behave in the spirit of the Niš Agreement.

Ultimately, the only one of the Macedonian Church who accepted and signed the Agreement of Niš subsequently was Metropolitan Jovan (Vraniškovski) of Veles and Povarda. Then the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, at its regular session in May, 2003, took a decision on the constitution of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the autonomous Ohrid Archdiocese of the Church of Serbia. On that occasion, 2 new bishops of the Ohrid archdiocese were elected by the Serbian Holy Synod : Joakim (Jovčevski) and Marko (Kimev).

At the same time, Metropolitan Kyril (Popović) of Polgka-Kumanov, who was the leader in advocating the schism, was "suspended from the exercise of the episcopate, and suspended from managing the diocese. Ecclesiastical-judicial proceedings were initiated against him".

On 16 June, 2004, Metropolitan Kyril (Popović) was deprived of his episcopal rank by the decision of the ecclesiastical court of the Orthodox Ohrid Archdiocese, sitting in the Pchinsk Monastery, South Serbia, in an expanded composition of 12 members - Metropolitan Amfilohiy (Radović) of Montenegro-Primorski ; Bishops Basil (Vadić) of Srem ; Lucian (Pantelić) of Buda ; Hrizostom (Stolić) of Zhicha ; Irinei (Bulović) of Bačka ; Pachomius (Gačić) of Vranj ; Artemiy (Radosavljević) of Raška and Prizren ; Justin (Stefanović) of Timočka ; Jovan (Mladenović) of Šumadija ; Ignatiy (Midić) of Braničevo ; as well as the bishops of the Orthodox Ohrid Archdiocese, Bishop Joakim (Jovčevski) of Velički, Vicar-Bishop of Polgka-Kumanov, and Bishop Marko (Kimev) of Dremviš, Vicar-Bishop of Bitola.

Then the Patriarch of Peć (Pavle (Stojčević)) summoned all the bishops, clergy, monastics and faithful people of the Macedonian Orthodox Church to enter into liturgical and canonical unity with the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Bishop of Veles, Metropolitan Jovan (Vraniškovski), and all priests of the Diocese of Veles agreed to respond to this call, and they all signed a document of agreement.

On 24 May, 2005, in accordance with the Niš Agreement, Jovan (Vraniškovski) (sometimes spelt Vraniškoski) was confirmed by the Patriarch of Peć to be the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje. On the same day, there was a proclamation of the Patriarch-and-Assembly's Tomos of Autonomy for the Ohrid Archbishopric, with Archbishop Jovan (Vraniškovski) as the Chairman of the Holy Synod of Bishops.

Consequences of the decisions of the Church of Serbia

A few days after entering into liturgical and canonical unity with the Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Jovan (Vraniškovski) was expelled from the seat of the Metropolitanate together with the monastic community living with him.

After that, he was detained by the Macedonian national authorities several times on various charges. In 2003, he was sentenced to 5 days' imprisonment for "disturbance of public peace and order and resisting a police officer", after attempting to perform a baptism in a church operated by the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

On a visit to the Republic of Macedonia in May, 2009, the President of Serbia, Boris Tadić, pointed out that his country wished for a settlement to the matter of the division. The Serbian Orthodox Church in the past had blocked the visit of the Republic of Macedonia state delegations to the Prohor Pčinjski Monastery in southern Serbia on the Republic of Macedonia's Day of the Republic, the place where the foundations of the Republic of Macedonia's statehood were laid during World War II at the first plenary session of ASNOM. In 2009, however, the Serbian Orthodox Church surprisingly allowed a visit by a delegation of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia.

In December, 2017, it became known that Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, intended to support the admission of Kosovo to UNESCO. The Serbian government responded that they would no longer recognise the country by the name Republic of Macedonia if they continued such efforts. Serbian foreign minister Ivica Dačić stated that it was an example of hypocrisy from Zoran Zaev's government.

Attempts at recognition with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, 2017

In November, 2017, Bulgarian National Television announced the content of a letter which the Macedonian Orthodox Church had sent to the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. That letter requested talks with regard to the recognition of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The letter was signed by Archbishop Stefan (Veljanovski). Amongst other things, the letter stated :

 The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate, taking into account 
 the unity of the Orthodox Church and the real spiritual and pastoral needs, 
 should establish eucharistic unity with the restored Ohrid Archbishopric in the form 
 of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

On 27 November, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Patriarchate accepted to consider the proposal that it become Macedonia's mother Church, and agreed to work towards recognition of its status. Then the Serbian Church expressed its surprise over the Bulgarian decision to be “mother” to the Macedonian Church.

On 14 May, 2018, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church decided to decline the invitation from the Macedonian Orthodox Church to participate in the festivities celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the establishment of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. They also declined to send a representative to the celebration.

Involvement of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, 2018

In late May, 2018, the Patriarchate of Constantinople announced that it had accepted the request from Skopje that it examine the canonical status of the Ohrid Archbishopric. On 13 January, 2020, Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis) received the prime minister of North Macedonia, Oliver Spasovski and his predecessor Zoran Zaev. According to the statement of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, “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”. It was announced that the patriarch would invite both the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Macedonian Orthodox Church to a joint meeting in a bid to find a mutually acceptable solution to the country's ecclesiastical situation.

Tenth anniversary of the election of Metropolitan Stefan (Veljanovski) to be Archbishop of Macedonia, 2019

On 10 October, 2019, "Ohrid News" published an item that reminded the readers about the fact that it had been on this day in 1999 that Metropolitan Stefan (Veljanovski) had been elected and enthroned to be Archbishop of Macedonia. A photo was included. The article reminded the readers about the names of the predecessors of Archbishop Stefan :

 Archbishop Stefan is the fifth head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.  Before him, the heads of the 
 Macedonian Orthodox Church were : Vladika Dositej (Stojković) ; Vladika Angelarij (Krstevski) ;
 Vladika Gavril (Miloshev) ;  Vladika Mikhail (Gogov).

Archbishop Stefan

In September, 2020, the President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, wrote a letter in which he asked that the Patriarch of Constantinople recognise the canonicity of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Response of Constantinople, 2022

On 9 May, 2022, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople decided to end the long schism with the Ohrid Archbishopric (now the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC)). The decision meant that the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate recognised the hierarch of the Church of Macedonia, led by Archbishop Stefan (Veljanovski) as being a canonical entity in the Orthodox world.

This was the last major step which, after more than 20 years of conversations and negotiations, made it possible at last to resolve the schism of the Church of Macedonia.

However, the significance of the Constantinopolitan decision lies not alone in the “primus inter pares” role of the Patriarch of Constantinople. In fact, both the Church of Constantinople and the Church of Greece had long been involved in the controversy over the naming of the Archbishopric of Ohrid as the Church of Macedonia. The Greek-speakers resisted a non-Greek application of the title (North Macedonian people speak Macedonian, a Slavic language related to Bulgarian and Serbian). This concern has historical roots that predate both Philip and Alexander of Macedonia. This concern, often expressed in heated commentary in the public press, was in the background of the tensions amongst Macedonians, Serbians and Bulgarians.

The history of the schism of the Church of Macedonia from the Church of Serbia was related in part also to the political concerns of the government of the former Yugoslavia and its Macedonian component. Vladika Jovan (Vraniškovski) and other bishops had been persecuted for an attempt in 2002 to bring about a healing of the schism, although it was not completely fulfilled at that time.

Healing the 1967 Schism of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, 2022

On 16 May, 2022, the hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, gathered in the Bishops’ Council in Sremski Karlovci, resolved to receive the previously schismatic Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric back into communion.

The Serbian Bishops’ Council (Sabor) was willing to accept the previous status of the Macedonian Church as an autonomous body within the Serbian Patriarchate. Thus, the Serbian bishops gave the Macedonian bishops the “full internal independence” originally granted them in 1959. Although this decision had been arrived at in part through interventions by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, nevertheless, the agreement was achieved through direct conversations between the bishops of Serbia and of Macedonia.

The Serbian Church declared that She would continue the dialogue to determine fully the “future and eventual final status” of dioceses within North Macedonia. She would be “guided only and exclusively by ecclesiological-canonical and Church-pastoral principles, criteria and norms, and not being concerned with ‘realpolitikal’, ‘geopolitical’, or ‘Church-political’” norms.

Although the Synod of Constantinople had stipulated that the Macedonian Church must be known as “The Ohrid Archbishopric”, the Serbian Holy Synod of Bishops stated that the official name would be resolved in “direct fraternal dialogue with the Greek and other Local Churches”. Although the Synod of Constantinople also stipulated that the Macedonian Church had jurisdiction only within the state of North Macedonia, the Serbian hierarchs stated that they had no intention of limiting its jurisdiction in the "diaspora". Long before, the Macedonian Church had established dioceses in North America, Europe, and Australia.

In its earlier letter to the Serbian hierarchs, the Macedonian Holy Synod expressed hope that the other Local Orthodox Churches would recognise its return to the Serbian Church. There soon began to appear some indications that this would be the case.

Patriarch Porfirije at the granting of autonomy

On 16 May 2022, Archbishop Stefan (Veljanovski) became the first Archbishop of Ohrid to be canonically recognised since Metropolitan Dositej II (Stojković), as a consequence of the resolution by the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church to accept the canonical status of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Fulfilment of the healing at the Divine Liturgy, 19 May, 2022

On 19 May, 2022, the first joint Divine Liturgy of the Serbian and Macedonian Churches took place in the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade after the restoration of canonical communion. At this Divine Liturgy, Patriarch Porfirije (Perić) and Archbishop Stefan (Veljanovski) served together, as did the bishops of both Churches (including Archbishop Jovan (Vraniškovski)). The Patriarch of Serbia presented the Archbishop of Macedonia with the official document of reconciliation.

The "Romfea.gr" web-site reported that after this Divine Liturgy, the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church had “noted that overcoming the schism and restoring canonical communion with the Macedonian Church is a miracle of God”. He further stated, “Let us rejoice and be glad, brothers, because now the fulness of the Church rejoices, heaven and earth rejoice, all the saints and Saint Sava rejoice”. On his part, Archbishop Stefan (Veljanovski) of Ohrid and Macedonia noted that the Faithful of Macedonia thank God for the reunion with the Mother Church. He added, "The Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archdiocese, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace, will continue the path leading and serving the cause of peace and mutual development".

Presentation of the Tomos of Autonomy by Patriarch Porfirije to Archbishop Stefan

Saint Sava Sobor, Belgrade

The Church of Serbia recognises the autocephaly of the Church of Macedonia, 2022=

On Tuesday, 24 May, 2022, in a joint Primatial Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius (offered in the Cathedral of Saint Clement of Ohrid, in Skopje, Macedonia), Patriarch Porfirije (Perić), the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, announced that the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church had recognised the autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Concelebration of Serbian and Macedonian bishops in Saint Clement of Ohrid Cathedral, Skopje

Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral, Skopje

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia addressed Archbishop Stefan and his entourage :

 Mostly thanks to your prayers, brothers and sisters, and thanks to the prayers 
 of all the saints, we established unity. 
  
 And now, we bring you one more piece of good news – that the Holy Synod 
 of the Serbian Orthodox Church has unanimously met the pleas of the 
 Macedonian Orthodox Church, and has accepted and recognised its autocephaly.  
 We are sure that all other Churches will receive this news with joy.

Archbishop Stefan responded with the words,

 May God allow that this act of love be eternal.

Archbishop Stefan with Patriarch Porfirije

Further recognitions and concelebrations followed.

The Church of Bulgaria recognises the autocephaly of the Church of Macedonia, 2022

At its session on 13 December, 2022, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church “accepted with spiritual joy” the Tomos of Autocephaly given to the Macedonian Orthodox Church on 5 June, 2022.

The Bulgarian Synod had already accepted the canonicity of the Macedonian Orthodox Church in June, 2022, though without reference to its autocephaly.

In the tomos, the Serbian Church recommended that the Macedonian Orthodox Church “resolve the issue of its official name through fraternal dialogue with the hellenophone (“Greek-speaking”) and other Local Orthodox Churches”.

Greek-speaking Churches objected to the title “Macedonian”, as Macedonia is also the name of a region in Greece, while the Bulgarian Church objects to the title “Ohrid”, as it understands itself as the continuation of the ancient Ohrid Archbishopric.

Thus, according to the Synodal decision, until a pan-Orthodox decision on the name of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, its primate would be commemorated by Patriarch Neofit (Dimitrov) of Bulgaria during the Divine services as “His Beatitude Stefan, Archbishop of North Macedonia”.

Thus, by this time, the autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church was now recognised by the Churches of Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Bulgaria, in addition to the Serbian Church.

Conversely, the Church of Greece explicitly rejected the Macedonian Orthodox Church’s autocephaly on the grounds that only Constantinople can grant autocephaly, though it nevertheless accepted the Macedonian Orthodox Church as canonical, following the earlier decision of Constantinople.

The Antiochian Patriarchate has also accepted the canonicity of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and entered into communion with it, though with the “aspiration that the general Orthodox consensus about the name and legal status of this Church will be reached as soon as possible”.

Archbishop Stefan with Patriarch Neofit

The Church of Romania recognises the autocephaly of the Church of Macedonia, 2023

On 9 February, 2023, the Holy Synod of the Church of Romania decided to recognise the autocephaly of the Church of Macedonia. Meeting under the chairmanship of Patriarch Daniel (Ciobotea), the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church resolved to approve the recognition of the autocephaly granted to the Church in the Republic of North Macedonia under the name of “Archdiocese of Ohrid and North Macedonia, with headquarters in Skopje” by the Patriarchate of Serbia in its Synodal Tomos issued on 5 June, 2022. Its Primate would be commemorated with the title “His Beatitude Archbishop Stefan of Ohrid, Skopje and North Macedonia”.

At this time, the autocephaly of the Macedonian Church was recognised by the Churches of Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Romania, in addition to the Church of Serbia. Although the Churches of Constantinople, Antioch and Greece did not accept the autocephaly of the Church of Macedonia, they did accept that the Church of Macedonia was a canonical and Autonomous Church.

By way of clarification, on 13 February, 2023, the Romanian Church’s Basilica News Agency issued a follow-up statement. There was issued a clarifying statement, which explained that the Romanian Synod recognised the right of a Mother Church to grant autocephaly to its daughter Church, while recognition of that autocephaly belongs to the whole Orthodox Church, expressed eventually in the form of a tomos signed by all the Primates of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches, in the order of the Diptychs, within the Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches.

– Metropolitan of Zletovo and Strumica 1986-1987.

– Metropolitan of America and Canada 1987-1989.

– Metropolitan of Bregalnica 1989-1999.

– Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia 1999-____. Preceded by : Archbishop Michael (Gogov). Succeeded by : ____.

Reflections

Writings

• In 1990, Metropolitan Stefan (Veljanovski) served as Editor-in-Chief of "Црковниот живот" ("Church Life"), the official gazette of the Church of Macedonia