On July 18, 1967, the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MPC) convened in Ohrid, where it issued a decree proclaiming the autocephaly of the MPC. This declaration established the MPC as the successor body to the renewed Ohrid Archbishopric. The official decree was signed by Dostai, who assumed the role of the new Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia.
The leadership of the MPC was formalized through the election of the new Archbishop, an event overseen by figures including Angel (Cvetko Krstevski), G. Gavril (Giorgi Milosevski), G. Michael (Method Gogos), and G.
Stefan (Stojan Veljanovski). The declaration of autocephaly for the macedonian orthodox body followed preparatory activities undertaken by the NOB. The push for ecclesiastical autonomy has deep historical roots.
Initial efforts began toward the end of the war, in 1944, in the village of Vranovci, with the formation of an Initiative Committee dedicated to organizing the MPC. This preparatory work continued, leading to the establishment of the Initiative Committee for the renewal of the Ohrid Archbishopric on January 3, 1945. These foundational steps laid the groundwork for the significant autocephalous proclamation of the MPC nearly two decades later.
The events of 1967 marked a key moment in the institutional history of the macedonian orthodox Church.
Topics: #macedonian #mpc #orthodox
