Bishop Petar warned that the Macedonian nation will become non-existent if it gives up the history of its medieval period, including its contributions to the spread of Christianity. Bulgaria demands that Macedonia accepts its reading of history, under which the saints and tsars of the medieval period will be declared as part of the Bulgarian nation.

If we as a nation and a church lose our roots from the times of Tsar Samoil and the sainted Clement and Naum, then we are a non-existent nation. We need to stand as Macedonians and endure in our national identity, with the support of all other nations living in Macedonia, the bishop of Prespa and Pelagonija said during a TV interview.

Bishop Petar noted that the identity of the state may be determined by different peoples living in it, but the Macedonian identity as a nation, and the identity of the Macedonian Orthodox Church which is the heir to the Ohrid Archbishopric can’t be traded with.