North Macedonia PM defends church identity after Serbian President's comments

North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has responded to comments made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić regarding the status of the church in Skopje. Vučić recently stated that the Serbian Orthodox Church is the same everywhere, specifically mentioning Skopje as one of the locations where it remains consistent.

Mickoski dismissed the remarks as belonging to the past rather than the 21st century, asserting that the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric is a fundamental pillar of Macedonian identity. The Holy Archieratic Synod of the Macedonian church also issued a statement, emphasizing that it carries out its mission exclusively within its own canonical territory.

Analysts note that these tensions stem from underlying property and canonical disputes. While the Serbian Orthodox Church granted a tomos of autocephaly to the Macedonian church four years ago, disputes persist regarding the formal ownership of monasteries and shrines, which the Serbian Church reportedly views as being under its formal jurisdiction while being used by the Macedonian Church.