Metropolitan Amfilohije, the senior Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) bishop in Montenegro, who was buried today, was considered a great opponent of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC).

He has repeatedly said that some kind of Macedonian church is a danger to the Balkans and the Orthodox world and that a solution should be reached through dialogue. The Ukrainian and Albanian Orthodox Churches were also mentioned at his funeral, but not the Macedonian one.

In an interview with Tass in January, the Metropolitan said that the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s attempt to repeat the Ukrainian scenario in the Balkans would mean declaring war on the Serbian Orthodox Church.

As for Macedonia, after all the events in Ukraine, I do not expect Constantinople to open a war against the Serbian Orthodox Church. After Ukraine, anything is possible but I do not believe it will happen.

Amflilohije was supposed to lead the negotiations with the MOC for the status of the MOC but they never continued because the Metropolitan was committed to the problems that the SOC had in Montenegro.