Patriarch Irinej: Solution for MOC can only be found through SOC

The request of the Macedonian church for the Bulgarian church to become its mother church has no canonical or historical basis and is a proof of immaturity, Serbian Orthodox Church’s Patriarch Irinej said in last night’s interview with Belgrade-based TV Hram. According to him, the solution for the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) can only be found through a community with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC).

I do not want to offend anyone, but the fact is that what they have done with the request Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) to be their mother church has no canonical or historical basis and is only a proof of immaturity. They show their immaturity to resolve their issue, losing sight of the position they are in. Problems could be resolved only in a community with Serbia which is their sincere friend, without any ambitions, except historical and factual, but unfortunately they did not do that. They wanted to solve a canonical problem with a putsch. It’s not a principle in the church. Talks, agreements, canonical bases exist to which they need to insist and work, but they avoid them and go from one problem to another, Serbian Orthodox Church’s Patriarch Irinej said, MIA reports.

He said that he is sorry for the people in Macedonia because it is religious and honorable and deserves this issue to be resolved in the best way. Serbian Orthodox Church wants the problem with Macedonian Orthodox Church to be surpassed and it should have been done long time ago, if their proposals were accepted, Patriarch Irinej said.

At the first meeting held in Prohor Pcinjski, where I also attended, they were told to return to what they received and from that position to solve their wishes. Unfortunately they did not accept it. With the Nis agreement, we fully agreed on the relations between the two churches, and we archived that to be accepted, but after one year they told media that they did not accept it, and this attempt was not successful, said Serbian Patriarch Irinej, commenting the problems in the relations between the Serbian Orthodox Church and Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric (MOC-OA).