Information Service of ADDRESS to the hierarchs, priests and the faithful of the Republic of Macedonia Our dear fathers, brothers and sisters in Christ, With paternal and fraternal love do We address all of you and ask each of you individually to take the responsibility before the Living God and before His Holy Church, both as individuals and as Orthodox Christians, and make your utmost efforts so that the schism in our Orthodox Church be overcome and the wounds of disunity and discord between us be healed, all to the final end of triumph of fraternal love over evil spirits and passions - in the glory of God's name, the profession of truth of the Holy Orthodoxy in today's agitated world and to the spiritual benefit and deliverance of our souls. The essence of spiritual feat to which God invites us is the establishment of liturgical communication and canonical unity of all of you not only with the Serbian Orthodox Church, but also with all the holiest local Orthodox Churches respectively, i.e. with the pleroma of the Orthodox spiritual family in the world, the family of “the Only-Begotten”, as Saint John Chrysostom said. You probably wonder why the Patriarch Pavle addresses each of you personally and individually, starting from the hierarchs over monastics and nuns in monasteries to the faithful in parishes throughout Macedonia? The reason is very simple. After years of official talks between the two authorised commissions (whose members were hierarchs from both sides respectively) a draft agreement was reached on the establishment of the church unity. Both commissions adopted the text of the draft agreement in the Monastery of Saint Naum near Ochrid, on January 14, 2001. Our Holy Assembly of Bishops approved that draft, without a single remark, on its regular session in May 2001, while the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church never stated its official standpoint, either positive or negative. Regardless of that fact, we accepted, without hesitation, the proposal that the commission should meet again and continue their dialogue. On May 17 this year in Nis, the commissions improved and stated in greater detail the draft agreement, thus making the version acceptable for all the Orthodox Churches in the world. After a couple of days our Assembly once again, without any objection, adopted and approved this, slightly revised draft agreement. No official response from Skopje arrived this time either. We learned from media that your Holy Synod did not adopt the draft agreement. Due to all the above said, respecting and obeying the imperative principle of fraternal love in Christ’s name, and striving to utilise every Evangelic means so as to achieve the holy church unity, We address this public appeal and invite every dear hierarch brother of Ours in the Republic of Macedonia to renew - with faith and love, honourably and bravely, together with his clergymen, monastic and the faithful - the liturgical and canonical unity with us, meaning with the entire holy Orthodox Church throughout the world, and thus to be the real follower of the holy Apostles and the holy Fathers, holy Slovenian enlighteners and teachers Cyril and Methodius and their brilliant disciples in Ochrid and in all the other church centres, both yours and ours. Therefore, with true and unconditional love, do We accept everyone. Only the clergyman, of whatever rank he may be, who has been hindered by canonical or moral reasons to perform priest duties cannot be accepted into the unity and community. Finally, We want to stress the following: the benefit and the future of the Church of God are at stake here, life and salvation of all of us, and not some worldly goals and interests, for sure. We, our dear brothers, do not act for some national exclusiveness and we do not have any national or territorial pretensions to you. We respect national affinity and identity of the Macedonian people and of every other people in the Republic of Macedonia. Ethnopylotism, i.e. subjecting the Church to national-political ideologies and programmes, was, many years ago, rightfully condemned as heresy. Ethnophylotism is actually born from weak awareness of the necessity for the unity of the Church, and consequently gives good basis for disunity and discords. The unity of the Church is sacred. Serving it is the greatest blessing and the greatest honour for all of us. We address you honestly, without any hidden thoughts, in the name of God. Do approach, all of you, not only to us, but to everyone, even to your ancestors “endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” so that all of us be “one body, and one Spirit”, since there is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph. 4:3-6). Amen. Your intercessor before the countenance of the Lord Archbishop of Pec, |
