Swiss newspaper: Noteworthy support for the Montenegrin church cannot be expected in the foreseeable future

The recognition of the autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church of the Ohrid Archdiocese "ends a dispute that has lasted for more than five decades", writes the Swiss newspaper Noje Zircher Zeitung (NZZ).

The paper reminds that the Serbian Orthodox Church has not recognized the "breakaway" Macedonian Church since 1967, and that this changed this Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, in the XNUMXs, the socialist authorities supported the independence of the Macedonian Church "in order to strengthen the Macedonian identity in a historically disputed climate", but the Serbian patriarch and the church did not recognize this.

"The schism did not only have ecclesiastical and legal consequences," writes Noje zircher zeitung. "Bishop Jovan Vraniškovski, the only bishop in the territory of today's North Macedonia who remained faithful to the patriarch in Belgrade, was sentenced to several prison terms at the beginning of the century under dubious pretexts. The human rights protection organization Amnesty International even commented on this case."

The text describes how Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's move to recognize the Ukrainian Church in 2019 played an important role, and that since then the Macedonian Church has been intensifying its efforts to finally become independent.

According to Stefan Kube, an expert on Eastern churches, the creation of a separate church in Macedonia is in the tradition of other Orthodox churches in the Balkans. But: "We can only speculate what prompted the Serbian Church to give in."

Perhaps the SPC has learned lessons from the split between the Russian and Ukrainian churches, says Anargiros Anapliotis, assistant professor of Orthodox church law from Munich. "Perhaps Belgrade has come to the realization that parting in good faith is better than a definitive split in an argument," he says. He adds that the SPC in North Macedonia has property and other interests.

The theologian from Bern, Stefanos Atanasiju, is of the opinion that the Serbian authorities were informed of the church's move. Namely, at a time when Serbia and its president Aleksandar Vučić are the target of criticism for their relations with Russia, this was an opportunity for Belgrade to present itself in a constructive light.

The experts interviewed by NZZ agree that the autocephaly of the MPC is one victory of Patriarch Bartholomew in his struggle with the Moscow Patriarchate.

But, as Anargiros Anapliotis says, this will hardly be a precedent that can be used elsewhere in the Balkans.

"In Montenegro, too, a national church separated from the Serbian Patriarchate," NZZ writes about it. "Admittedly, it was always the political project of Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović."

"Unlike North Macedonia, in Montenegro the vast majority of the Orthodox population adheres to the Belgrade Patriarchate. In the foreseeable future, we cannot expect significant support for the Montenegrin Church - neither in the country itself, nor in world Orthodoxy," the Swiss newspaper concludes.