The Macedonian Orthodox Church responded to reports that the joint historic commission with Bulgaria is now stuck on the historic narrative about the rise of the church. Bishop Petar of Bitola came out with a statement that the Archbishopry of Ohrid was never Bulgarian – an issue which he says is accepted by Bulgarian historians.

The historic commission has no right and should categorically reject any attempt to discuss the Archbishopry of Ohrid. They were not supposed to discuss the histories of St. Cyril and Methodius, or of St. Clement and St. Naum. If this happens, the shame will fall on the members of the commission and those who collaborated with our enemies over our national and religious identity, bishop Petar said.

The Macedonian members in teh commission already accepted a number of Bulgarian positions on the legacy of the early medieval saints who Bulgaria claims as her own. Macedonia is under pressure to accept the Bulgarian historic narrative, and is told that if it fails to do so, it will see its EU membership prospects blocked again. The historians also agreed to delete the narrative of the continuity between the mission of St. Paul and the Macedonian church from the Macedonian history books.